


Rescue Me!

by Pastaaddict



Series: Heartbeat [7]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Attack, Blind Yao, Hiding, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Stalking, Under the name Pastaaddict, Unstable Natalya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-09 13:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 48,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastaaddict/pseuds/Pastaaddict
Summary: Ivan finds his soulmate but because of his unstable sister, he must take Yao and his younger brother and take them into hiding but it's only a matter of time before Natalya finds them.





	1. Love On The Run

**Author's Note:**

> This is a long one and gets very intense. Those who are fans of Belarus beware! She gets quite insane in this but I do have a story after this that explains why she's the way she is so please, bear with me.

 

****Love On The Run!** **

Ivan Braginski sat on a chair in the Relatives Room of the hospital with Matthew Williams by his side and Matthew's soulmate, Gilbert Beilschmidt, next to him as they waited for someone to come and tell them that the operation was over and how it went. Across the room sat a young Chinese man with choppy brown hair and golden-brown eyes with large eyebrows, trying to look emotionless but, every now and then, a glimpse of fearful concern flashed in his eyes. A large plaster graced his cheek and his arm was in a sling but he had gotten off lightly compared to his older brother.

Ivan slumped down in his chair, his face sinking into the scarf that his older sister had given him when he left Russia for Alaska and then on to Canada and he wished she was here now. How could he have let this happen! He should have gotten Yao out when Natalya turned up in Canada as part of Ivan's helicopter crew but he thought he could hide Yao's existence from her but, in the end, it was futile and now an innocent man was dead, Li Xiao had been hurt and Yao was in the operating theatre, fighting for his life.

Everyone looked up as the door opened and a man in doctor's scrubs with light-brown hair and hazel eyes, came in and looked round.

"Are you with Yao Wang?" he asked and both Ivan and Li Xiao stood up.

"I'm his brother!" Li Xiao replied.

"I'm his soulmate!" Ivan revealed. "And his fiancé!"

"I'm Doctor Bell!" the doctor said. "The operation went as well as could be expected! If he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, he has a chance. The rest is up to him now!"

"Can we see him, Doctor?" Ivan asked. The doctor nodded.

"He's being moved to a private room in ICU, right now," he replied. "Give us time to get him settled and I'll have a nurse take you to him!"

"Thank you, Doctor!" Li Xiao said and the doctor left the room. Ivan sat back down and rested his head on the back of his chair, his usual smile, absent. After all, other than the fact that Yao had survived the operation, Ivan had very little to smile about. His violet eyes just stared at the ceiling above his head while Matthew came to sit beside him and put a reassuring hand on Ivan's arm. Ivan turned to look at his workmate.

"This is my fault, Matvey!" he condemned himself. "I knew what Natalya was like, how unstable she was. I should have done more to protect my sunflower!"

"Ivan," Matthew said, softly. "You hadn't seen her in years! You had no idea what she was capable of, how truly unstable she was!"

"I knew how obsessive she could become," Ivan replied. "She's the reason why I went to Alaska when I met Yao! I knew if she knew about Yao, she would become …... difficult!"

"You could not have known that she would do what she did!" Matthew insisted. "No one would expect somebody to do something like that! This was all her, Ivan! All you did was find your soulmate, the most natural and desired thing in the world!"

"She wanted to be my soulmate!" Ivan replied. "She obsessed about it!"

"But she wasn't!" Matthew stated. "And never would be! Siblings are never soulmates and she should have accepted that! Instead, she went against nature and let it destroy her sanity!"

"Is it bad that I'm glad she's been sectioned?" Ivan asked. "Does that make me a bad brother?"

"No!" Gilbert spoke up now. "It's hard but she showed how dangerous she was and now she's where she can get help! She was a threat to you and everyone around her! It's not awesome but true!"

"He's right, Ivan!" Matthew said. The door opened again and a nurse with black hair in a ponytail and blue eyes, came in.

"Hello," she greeted. "I'm here to take you to Yao Wang's room." Everyone stood up and left the room. The nurse led them through corridors and finally opened the door to a private room.

"Gil and I will wait out here," Matthew said, when the nurse said that only two people could be in the room. "You're his family!" Ivan smiled at his colleague and then followed Li Xiao into the room.

* * *

Ivan had already caught the antiseptic smell of the hospital outside the room and the next thing he detected was the beep of the heart monitor and the hiss of the respirator. Then the hospital bed came into view with its occupant. The Chinese man that lay there looked small, his hair out of its usual ponytail, trailing out of the bandages that covered most of his head. Wires snaked out from under his hospital gown and trailed out to the heart monitor while the breathing tube was attached to the respirator as it hissed, pushing air into Yao's lungs. His skin looked pale and waxy with dark shadows under his closed eyes and Ivan could not believe that his soulmate had come to this!

Li Xiao sat in a chair on the right side of the bed, taking his older brother's hand and holding it tight. Li Xiao had spent years, teasing Yao and irritating him like every other bratty younger brother that had ever existed and Yao had always pretending it made him angry but Li Xiao knew he had secretly like it! Li Xiao, for all his help, never let Yao feel like he was different because of his impediment. Younger brothers irritated older brothers, that was the way it was but now Li Xiao wished he had been less of a pain.

Ivan took a seat of the left side of Yao's bed and held his left hand, which seemed small in his large grip, gazing at the gold engagement ring with the jade stone that he himself had placed there only a year ago. He should have done it sooner! He should have done it when they left Alaska for Canada and married quickly but he thought they had time! He had managed to leave Russia before Natalya had found out about Yao and he never thought she would find out where he had gone to until she turned up as his new co-pilot on the Mountain Rescue team that he worked on. She pretended that it was all just a co-incidence and never gave any indication that she knew about Yao. Ivan had made arrangements to get Yao out of Canada to the safety of his native China but Natalya had managed to get to him any way!

Ivan looked down at the ring again, remembering the day he had met Yao, the day he had proposed, everything!

* * *

_Four years ago …..._

Ivan Arlovsky had finally achieved his pilot's licence and finished his training in piloting helicopters. He called his older half-sister, Katyusha to tell her and she was ecstatic for him but no sooner had he finished his call than his phone rang and he groaned as he saw on Caller Id who it was. He should ignore it but Natalya would just keep calling and turning his phone off would just mean a harder time when they met in person. Natalya was becoming increasingly harder to deal with as her affection for him went beyond brother and sister and he was no longer comfortable in her presence. Natalya took after their father, General Dmitri Arlovsky, sometimes called General Winter because of his cold demeanour but even he found his daughter's obsession with his son disturbing and had arranged for her to see a psychiatrist but she was not very co-operative and her obsession persisted. It accumulated with Ivan leaving the family home when Natalya demanded he marry her. Since then, she had gone into stalker mode!

"Hello, brother!" her sweet but creepy voice seeped down the phone when he answered. "I've heard you've got your licence! Now you can get a pilot's job and we can marry! Marry me, brother! Marry me!" Ivan wondered how she had found out so fast.

"Nyet!" he said with determination. "We are not soulmates and, more importantly, we are brother and sister, that is not natural! Give up your obsession of me, Natalya! Find your soulmate and I'll find mine!" The voice on the phone turned to an angry hiss.

"I know my heart," Natalya growled. "It will beat if you love me! Do not let someone else make your heart beat, brother! You'll both regret it if you do!" Ivan switched his phone off on the disturbing call. Natalya had made threats against Ivan's future soulmate before and it made him dread finding his life partner and he had long since made a plan for that eventuality. Ivan was born in Alaska, giving him dual citizenship with the US and he would use that to his advantage when he finally found his soulmate because they would not be safe in Russia. They would go to Alaska, his soulmate would be guaranteed citizenship through Ivan and Ivan would change his name, to Braginski, which was his mother's name before marrying his father and it was Katyusha's name before marrying her soulmate, Eduard Von Bock. From there, they would find away to disappear where Natalya could never find them.

Then, one day, the inevitable happened.

It was just an ordinary day with Ivan doing an every day thing, shopping for groceries and wandering the aisles for his required items. As he searched the shelves for ingredients for Borscht, he could hear two male voices, chatting in the next aisle in a language he did not understand but it sounded like Chinese. Over the aisle, he could see the back of their heads, one with choppy dark brown, almost black hair and the other's was a similar colour but it was longer and was in a ponytail, draped over his left shoulder. They chatted back and forth, maybe discussing what to buy and so forth, so Ivan went back to his own shopping and moved down the aisle, looking for the other items on his list.

He did not realise that the two Chinese men were also moving down the aisle on the opposite side and, as he turned at the end of the aisle to go into the next one, he found himself crashing into the older man who, being smaller than Ivan, was knocked to the ground, almost taking the younger, who was holding his arm, down with him.

"Yao!" the younger man cried.

"Prosti! _( I'm sorry!_ )" Ivan exclaimed, reaching his hand down for the Chinese man to take so he could help him up but the younger …... Ivan had thought the other was older but he was little more than a young teenager with gold-brown eyes and substantial eyebrows ….. knelt down to help the other man to his feet and Ivan's hand was ignored. Ivan thought that was rude, after all he had not meant to knock the man down, and he took a good look at the man who had paid no attention to his attempt to help. The older Chinese man had eyes that were darker than the younger and they resembled each other enough for Ivan to guess that they were brothers but he was not prepared for what happened next.

 

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Ivan immediately put his hand over his heart, as if to confirm that it was beating and realised that the day he had both longed for and dreaded was finally here! His soulmate was standing before him but the man's face gave no indication that he realised that and then Ivan noticed something about the man. His eyes seemed to look right through him, as if he was not there and that's when he realised. His new sunflower was blind! Ivan knew that this meeting had put his new soulmate in extreme danger but his blindness would make him even more vulnerable.

 _“ Do you speak Russian?_ " he asked in his own language. His soul mate cocked his head and his brother just stared at the tall Russian in their way.

 

" _I'm sorry! I can't speak Russian _,_ _ " the older man replied in Chinese. " _Do you, perhaps, speak Chinese?_ Or maybe English, aru?" He had switched to the English language.

"Da!" Ivan replied, happy that he could actually converse with his sunflower, even if it was not in either of their native tongue. "I can speak English! I am happy but also sad at finally meeting you! I am Ivan Arlovsky!" The Chinese man looked confused.

"I am Wang Yao," he replied. "This is my younger brother, Wang Li Xiao. Why are you happy but sad to meet me. aru?" Ivan was careful to take Yao's hand and gently pull it forward to put it on his chest so Yao could feel his heart beating. Yao's sightless eyes widened with surprise at the thumping under his hand.

"You are my soulmate!" Yao breathed. Then his face fell. "Now I'm sad! My heart can't beat for you because I cannot see your eyes. I am blind, aru!" Ivan put his other hand over the hand that Yao still had against Ivan's chest.

"That's not important to me, Podsolnukh! _(_ _Sunflower!_ _)," Ivan replied._ "But my finding of you places you in great danger!"

"What do you mean?" Li Xiao demanded. Ivan sighed.

"I'm thinking that we should go somewhere and talk!" he said and they went to a nearby coffee shop for a deep discussion.

* * *

As they walked to Ivan's favourite coffee shop, Ivan learnt about his new soulmate. He and his brother were having a holiday, to take in the cultural ambience of other countries and Russia had been their next stop. Although Yao could not see the sights that his brother could, he like to learn about the different places they visited. Yao told Ivan that he was a teaching assistant in the blind school that he himself had attended and he was the legal guardian for his fourteen year old brother who had been a help on this trip, guiding him around unfamiliar places so Ivan accepted that Li Xiao would be part of the plan. He also told Ivan about how he lost his sight in a car accident. The sad thing was the damage was repairable with an operation but it was in a dangerous part of the brain and, just one slip, Yao could be permanent brain-damaged or could even die so no doctor would touch it!

They sat in the coffee shop, sipping their beverages as Ivan told him about himself. That his parents were not soulmates as his father's soulmate had died and he had married a widow with a young daughter, his half-sister, Katyusha. He mentioned being a qualified pilot and he also said about the fact that he was born in Alaska so he could bring that up when he outlined his plan for their protection. Then he touched on the problem subject. His insane little sister!

"Natalya has inappropriate feelings toward me," Ivan explained. "I have quite often felt stalked by her and she has made clear the danger she presents to anyone who causes my heart to beat! Even my father cannot bring her under control and I fear for your safety once she finds out about you! I am sorry, Podsolnukh! This will change your life forever!"

"She's that dangerous?" Li Xiao asked. Ivan nodded.

"I made a plan for when I found my soulmate," Ivan told them. "But it will mean you must give up your life as you know it! The plan will be to go to Alaska where I am a citizen and I will change my name and then we go somewhere else!"

"Why not stay in Alaska, aru?" Yao asked.

"Natalya will know to look there," Ivan replied. "It would not be a safe place to hide! You will not be safe!"

"And you expect us to just, like, leave everyone and everything behind!" Li Xiao exclaimed. "We have other brothers and sisters and you expect us to just go to Alaska and leave them! Why don't we just go home and forget this happened?" Li Xiao turned to his brother.

"Do you wish to deny your brother his soulmate?" Ivan replied, desperate not to lose Yao now that he had found him. "And if Natalya finds out my heart is beating, she will not stop until she finds out who Yao is and she will come after him! I'm sorry, Li Xiao! For this reason, I almost did not want to find Yao but I have now and I must do everything I can to protect him. Remember, I, too must give up the life I know. I have a father and a half sister but I will have to leave them behind to protect Yao!"

"You don't sound like someone who scares easily," Yao commented. "She really is that much of a threat, aru!"

"Da!" Yao went silent as he lapsed into thought. When he felt someone crash into him, he never expected it to be his soulmate and he certainly never expected it to overturn his life in this way. On the run from his soulmate's insane, incestuous-minded sister! But Ivan seriously feared for Yao's life! An over-reaction! Yao did not think so!

"If you believe the danger is that great!" Yao said, slowly. "Then we have no choice! I will go with you, Ivan! Li Xiao, the choice is yours! You can come with me or I can send you to Im Yong Soo, although I would rather you came with me, aru!"

"I'm not letting you go to a strange country without me, anyway!" Li Xiao said, adamantly. "You wouldn't last five minutes until you, like, got used to the place. If you're going to do this, I'm going too!"

Ivan smiled. He had his soulmate and Yao was going to agree to the plan and now he would put it into action.

* * *

Flights to Alaska were ordered but Yao and Li Xiao went on a different flight to Ivan, who's older sister had met him at the airport in secret to see her brother one last time with a gift of a scarf, that she had made just for him, and they met up in Anchorage where they stayed for a while, changing Ivan's name from Arlovsky to Braginski and organising Yao's citizenship as his soulmate and, as his younger brother's guardian, Li Xiao's but they did not stay too long. Ivan managed to find a job in Canada as the pilot of a mountain rescue helicopter pilot and managed to acquire a work visa for himself and a six-month visa for Yao and Li Xiao and they began a new life in Canada. In the six months, Ivan applied for permanent citizenship and it was granted to him and, by extension, to his soulmate and his little brother as well. They were finally free! For the next three years, at least!

 


	2. Welcome To Canada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao settle down to a new life.

** _**Welcome To Canada** _ **

  
  


"Where is Big Brother, Father?" Natalya actually demanded that of General Arlovsky, of 'General Winter'! Not even Ivan would confront his father in such a way yet, despite calling him Father, it was like Natalya was demanded answers from one of his subordinates and Dmitri did not like it one bit.

"I don't know, Natalya," he retorted and decided to drive home a few home truths. "And I wouldn't tell you if I did. You've driven your brother away with your obsession, he just wanted to get away from you. This fantasy about marrying your own brother stops now, he's not crazy enough to believe that marrying your own sibling is natural. Or even legal! Forget him and find your soulmate!"

"He is my soulmate!" Natalya hissed. "He's the one I'm destined to live my life with!"

"NO, HE ISN'T!" Dmitri roared, looming over his disturbed daughter. "You don't make his heart beat, how could you, being his sister? And he doesn't make your heart beat either." Natalya was not intimidated by her father's temper.

"I don't need a beating heart to know that he should be mine," she said with conviction. Dmitri grabbed Natalya's arm.

"Do I have to have you committed to drive it home?" he threatened. "You will leave Ivan alone, you will not try to find him or your next room will have padded white walls. Do you understand me?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Natalya hissed.

"You forget who you're talking to, Natalya," her father replied. "I'm General Winter and I will do what I must to protect the family, even against family!" He released Natalya who rubbed her arm, turned on her heel and stormed out of her father's room. Dmitri knew that Natalya was too far gone in her delusions to obey him so he picked up his phone, dialled and waited.

"Sergei?" he said. "I have a job for you. I want my daughter, Natalya watched. Let me know if she tries to leave the country, especially for Alaska." Yes, Dmitri Arlovsky knew where his son had gone and what his plan was and he would do what he could to keep his insane daughter from finding Ivan. Despite his cold demeanour, he loved his family and he would protect his only son. And his son's soulmate. But he would need help with Natalya so when he finished the call to his subordinate, he dialled again.

"Katyusha," he said when his step-daughter answered.  "Could you and your husband come here to Moscow? I have a favour to ask, concerning Ivan."

* * *

Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao spent the first few weeks in Canada in rented accommodation while they looked for a house to purchase. Had Ivan been hiding his soulmate from anyone else, his father would have condemned him as a coward but even General Arlovsky had to admit that Natalya was a different case. You could not eliminate family and Natalya was becoming increasingly unstable so Ivan's father arranged for an transfer of money so Ivan could start a new life in a safe place for Yao. In the meantime, Ivan began his new job on the Mountain Rescue team, stationed in Banff and he would be meeting his new team mates as he made his way to the Rescue station. When he walked in, he was greeted by a blonde man with eyes a similar colour to his own, with a funny hair strand that curled in the middle, dressed in some of his rescue gear.

"You must be Ivan Braginski," he greeted, holding out his hand for Ivan to shake which he did. "Hello, I'm Matthew Williams but everyone calls me Mattie."

"Privet  _ ( Hello ), _ Matvey," Ivan replied with a smile. "I look forward to working with you, da?" Matthew smiled.

"Our other pilot, Aleksander, will be along soon," Matthew said. "He's just doing a check on the helicopter. We never know when we'll get an emergency call, eh?" Ivan nodded, approvingly.

"Da," he agreed. "It's good to be prepared! What kind of emergencies will we be facing?"

"We have the occasional avalanche," Matthew replied. "Mostly, we look for lost or stuck mountain-climbers or we airlift injured skiers to the nearest hospital. Fairly routine, just at unexpected times. Typical for emergencies." Ivan found that he liked Matthew, he was friendly, if a little quiet. Clearly a local as he spoke the way everyone else did in Canada and Ivan believed he could have a good working relationship with the quiet man.

"So," Matthew continued. "From your accent, I take it your from Russia, eh?" Ivan smiled.

"Da," Ivan replied. "From Moscow." He did not want to go into too much detail so he did not mention that he arrived in Canada via Alaska, nothing that could be passed on in casual conversation. It was not that Ivan thought that Natalya would find him any time soon or that Matvey would do anything to harm someone he had just met, if he would want to harm anyone at all. It was just that the secrecy with which Ivan, Yao and his brother had left Russia, and then Alaska, was still too recent for Ivan to completely let it go. Maybe, when he got to know Matvey better, he would trust the Canadian with his story. There was a commotion as a black-haired man with green eyes in full-flight uniform came through the door, carrying a flight list. Matthew turned to the man.

"Ah, Aleks," he said. "This is our new co-pilot, Ivan Braginsk from Russia. Ivan, this is Aleksander Dragov. You two will flying the helicopter together and Ivan, you'll also be operating the winch. It'll be your job to lower me down to the people we have to rescue so my life will be in your hands."

"Do not worry, Matvey," Ivan reassured him, holding up his hands. "These are safe." Aleksander held out his hand to Ivan and he shook it.

"Welcome, Ivan," he greeted with a European accent. "I'm from Bulgaria myself. How are you liking Canada so far?"

"I am liking it very much," Ivan replied. "The people have been friendly so far. My soulmate is liking it as well." Matthew smiled.

"You've found your soulmate!" he exclaimed. "Congratulations! I'm still looking for mine but Aleks has found his."

"My soulmate's from Romania," Aleks replied. "He's called Vladimir. Is your soulmate from Russia too?"

"Nyet _ ," _ Ivan replied. "Yao is Chinese. He and his younger brother were visiting Moscow when we met. Li Xiao lives with us as his brother is his legal guardian."

"We should all go to a movie some time," Aleks suggested. "Get to know each other." Ivan smiled, a little sadly.

"I will ask Yao but he might not wish to," he replied. "Yao is blind." The other two men looked at each other awkwardly.

"Then perhaps we could all have dinner together one night," Matthew covered the awkward moment. He had been going to apologise but he was afraid that it might be taken for pity. "We could talk and get to know each other that way and there'll no distractions."

"Da," Ivan said. "That sounds like a good idea." Aleks clapped his hands.

"That's settled," he stated. "Now why don't we sit down and have a hot drink until a rescue call comes in. I know Mattie has some pancakes, he always has pancakes."

* * *

Apart from a skier who had broken his leg, there were no major catastrophes during his shift and Ivan spent time bonding with his new work colleagues while checking over the emergency equipment and he returned home after a good day, although he could be called back in, should an emergency occur. Li Xiao had returned home from the school that Ivan and Yao had found for him and was doing his homework while Yao was cooking dinner on the stove that had been especially labelled in Braille so he knew which knobs operated which hob and the food had been put in specially labelled containers so Yao knew what he was putting in his wok. It amazed Ivan to discover that Yao could cook, although he worried that he might hurt himself but he hurt himself no more that a sighted person would, with the odd burn or scald and his food was always delicious.

"I'm home!" Ivan called out and Yao turned down the heat and came toward Ivan's voice. Everything was kept in the same place and Yao could move around the apartment as well as Ivan and Li Xiao.

"How was the first day at work, aru?" he asked. Ivan put his hands on Yao's shoulders and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Very good," he replied. "I have two good work colleagues, Matvey and Aleks. They are very friendly and want for us to go to dinner so we can get to know each other better."

"That is hospitable of them," Yao commented. He would like to get about a little more but he was worried. "But should we, aru? If we reveal too much and Natalya comes looking …..."

"Natalya know nothing of Matvey and Aleks," Ivan replied. "And it is doubtful that she will find us any time soon. We just need to be careful and not reveal too much so it should be safe enough. You should not be stuck in this apartment all the time." Yao rested his head on Ivan's chest and sighed.

"I wished we did not have to live like this," he said. "Having to be careful all the time and looking over our shoulders, aru."

"It will not be forever, Podsolnukh," he promised, raising Yao's chin and kissing him, gently.

"Eww!" Li Xiao grimaced as he came to get a drink. "Get a room, you two!" Ivan looked toward him.

"You will feel differently when you find your soulmate, Mladshiy brat ( _ Little Brother _ )," he said, indulgently. "And how was your day?"

"My art teacher wants to talk to you about some of my drawings," Li Xiao replied. "And the Headmaster wants to talk to you about an incident in the boy's rest-room." Yao gave an exasperated sigh.

"Did the incident in the rest-room involve fire-crackers, aru?" he said with a long suffering tone. Li Xiao shrugged.

"Maybe."

"And I can only guess at the drawings," Yao continued. "There was trouble at your last school about that. You only got away with that because I couldn't see them, aru."

"Sometimes being blind has its advantages."

"Not this time, brat," Ivan replied (and he did not mean brother this time). "This time, I will see your little masterpieces that cause so much controversy. What can I expect to see, Podsolnukh?"

"From what I was told, last time," Yao replied. "His artwork was of rather an explicit nature, aru." Ivan chuckled.

"Is that what I can expect to see?" he asked Li Xiao who shrugged again.

"Maybe." Yao sighed and prepared himself for an ordeal when he went to Li Xiao's school.

"Go do your homework, aru!" he ordered. Li Xiao went to get his drink and went back to his homework.

"What will I do with him, aru?" Yao lamented. Ivan chuckled again and put his arms around his soulmate, hugging him tight.

"He is a teenager," he replied. "At least he can't get involved in real trouble out here. He's not a bad boy, just spirited."

"Some punishment is still in order for the fire-crackers, aru."

"Da," Ivan agreed. "But let us wait until we know exactly what we are punishing him for, da?"

"Shi ( _ Yes _ )," Yao agreed. "I better go finish dinner." And Yao went back into the kitchen while Ivan settled down in front of his laptop to peruse properties online to find them all a permanent home.

* * *

Natalya was frustrated. Ivan seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth and, other than Ivan had left Russia for Alaska, she had been unable to find out anything about where he was or why he had left. It could not be because of her, like her father said. They were destined to be together, Ivan would not run from his destiny so why had her brother gone?

She knew she was being followed. Whoever it was, they were good as she never got a good look at them but she knew they were there and knew they were probably working for her father. No one disobeyed General Winter when he gave an order. Even her own family were standing in the way of what should happen but it mattered little. She would find Ivan and then they would be together, beating hearts be damned!

Her shadow had gone. After all, she was at home in her father's house now but if she were to leave, she knew her father would alert her unwanted bodyguard who would stalk her until she returned home again and all she could do without scrutiny was stare out of her bedroom window which was what she was doing when a car pulled up. Two people got out and Natalya recognised her older half-sister, Katyusha and her husband, Eduard Von Bock as they walked up to the door. That was strange! Katyusha and Eduard lived in Estonia, why would they be here? The answer was obvious! Father had called them for some purpose and she would find out what it was. She crept through the house as her sister and brother-in-law were taken to the General, keeping out of sight. When the corridor was empty, she crept up to the door and put her ear against it.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Katyusha," she heard her father say. "You too, Eduard. I know you didn't have to but I appreciate your help."

"Ivan's my brother," Katyusha replied. "I will help if I can." Dmitri Arlovsky sighed.

"Natalya is getting increasingly worse in her obsession," he admitted. "Sergei has reported that she's made inquiries about Ivan's whereabouts. She knows that he left the country for Alaska but, fortunately, he doesn't think she's learnt anything else."

"So she doesn't know about Yao?" Natalya heard Eduard ask. Yao? Who was Yao?

"No, thank goodness," her father said. "If she knew that Ivan left to protect his soulmate, her insanity would know no bounds!" Natalya went rigid. Soulmate!  _ Ivan has found his soulmate! _ How dare he! She had warned him not to find his soulmate, warned him what would happen.  _ How could he! _ She would find him! Find him and eliminate this soulmate, nothing would interfere with their destiny! Nothing!

But first she had to find him so she continued to listen, hoping for a clue.

"If she knows he's in Alaska," Eduard said. "We have to make sure she can't leave the country, for Ivan and Yao's sake, to say nothing of young Li Xiao. If Natalya's as far gone as you say, she wouldn't hesitate to use the teenager to get to Ivan and Yao." Natalya stored that little titbit of knowledge away for later use.

"Ivan and his soulmate are no longer in Alaska," Dmitri replied. "You think I wouldn't keep tabs on my son? Ivan is in Canada, using his flight training to work with a mountain rescue team. But, all the same, I don't want Natalya leaving the country, just in case. Katyusha, I want you to keep your sister distracted! I'll still have Sergei follow Natalya but I want you to stay by her as much as you can." Katyusha nodded. "Eduard, if you could, would you keep tabs on her online activity? I know your skill with computers so you can see if she gets close to finding Ivan."

"Of course," Eduard replied but Natalya just smiled. She knew their plans now and, more importantly, she now knew where Ivan was. She just had to find out exactly where in Canada he was, get away from her gaolers as she saw them, and find a way to get to Canada to find Ivan. And then she would deal with his soulmate.

 

 


	3. A Normal Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan gets to play parent at Li Xiao's school.

 

** _**Chapter 3 : A Normal Life** _ **

The incident in the boys rest-room had resulted in a fractured toilet bowl, a flooded floor and a very annoyed Headmaster. It resulted in a month's detention and Ivan and Yao would be getting the bill for the repairs which would be putting a dent in Li Xiao's allowance for some time to come. In addition, Li Xiao had to mop up and clean the rest-room. The punishment at home was Li Xiao's chores would included cleaning the bathroom every day to make sure he thought twice before igniting fireworks in another rest-room, to say nothing of being grounded.

It was decided that Ivan would deal with the art problem and that was a little less straight forward. Some of Li Xiao's art was commended but it was Fan-art, involving various well-known manga and anime characters in various states of undress, sometimes with other characters, also in various states of undress and in certain poses that the teacher seemed concerned about but, while risqué, they were not that lurid. The figures were not completely undressed and it was good Fan-art! It might not be appropriate for Art Class but how do you punish someone for their art-work and then compliment said art-work but Ivan saw a way through as he saw paintings from older students.

"Excuse me!" he interrupted the art teacher in mid-discussion of Li Xiao's choice of art. "You agree that Li Xiao's art skills are excellent..."

"Oh indeed!" Mr Alland concurred. "His drawing techniques are above par but the content …..."

"But what is the difference between the content of Li Xiao's work and these?" Ivan indicated the drawings full of naked human forms that adorned the walls. Mr Alland looked at the paintings and could not see what Ivan meant. Sat beside Ivan, Li Xiao had to hide his smile as he realised that his brother's soulmate was fighting in his corner.

"These are Life drawings, Mr Braginski," Mr Alland explained. "An artistic study of the human form. This is simply an artistic medium."

"Fan-art could be argued to be a artistic medium," Ivan smiled, picking up one of Li Xiao's pictures which figured a character with undone clothing but not so open that anything was actually shown, it was more suggestive than anything else. "And the content is not as revealing and Li Xiao was not in the same room as a naked human being when he drew this. When I was told about Li Xiao's pictures being explicit I was expecting something …. explicit!" Mr Alland began to hum and haw as he searched for an argument.

"I'm not sure you could call Fan-art actual artwork," Mr Alland said. Li Xiao looked affront at such sacrilege while Ivan looked at the picture again.

"Why not," he asked. "This has creativity and imagination! Why is it not art?"

"Because," Mr Alland's argument was beginning to stall. "Because …... because this is a character that already exists. It could misconstrued as plagiarism." Ivan could see a picture on the wall behind the teacher that someone had drawn of Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Ivan pointed to it.

"Is that not a picture of a character that already exists?" he asked. "Could that not be misconstrued as plagiarism?" Ivan gave a child-like smile that made Mr Alland nervous and he began stammering, trying and failing to dispel the parallel.

"Many teenagers draw Fan-art," Ivan said. "They do not seek to lay claim to the characters they draw but to pay tribute to the characters they admire and their creators." He stood up, indicating that Li Xiao stand up with him. "Should Li Xiao draw characters having sex for his school work, by all means, let me know! In the meantime, I will not stifle my Mladshiy brat's creativity. Shall we go, Li Xiao?" Li Xiao gave a grin and they left the classroom, leaving behind a teacher, still trying to figure out how he got blind-sided.

"That was so cool!" Li Xiao said, as they left the school. "Mr Alland doesn't like Fan-art, that's the real reason he called you in. He wanted you to stop me doing manga artwork for school."

"I will not stop you from drawing manga," Ivan replied. "Perhaps you should save the more suggestive work for the internet but don't let someone so narrow stifle your imagination."

"Cool!" Li Xiao said. "If I'm working on my school artwork, can I be let off bathroom cleaning chores?"

"Nyet!"

"That sucks!"

* * *

Yao was running his fingers across the Braille book he was reading while he waited for Ivan and Li Xiao to return from seeing Li Xiao's art teacher and he turned his head when he heard the door open.

"We're back, Podsolnukh!" he heard Ivan call and he heard Li Xiao's footsteps running up the stairs to his room. He could always tell the difference between Ivan's footsteps and Li Xiao's. Li Xiao's footsteps were light and quick, even when running where Ivan's were the footsteps of a much heavier person but he was not heavy footed or clumpy, although his footsteps got heavier when running. Right now, the footsteps were light as Yao heard Ivan walk into the sitting room where Yao was reading as Ivan walked into the room. The lightness of Ivan's step also told Yao that Ivan was in a good mood so the meeting must have gone well.

"How was the meeting with Mr Alland, aru?" he asked. Ivan kissed Yao on the forehead.

"Li Xiao's paintings were not as bad as he was saying," Ivan replied. "Pictures of anime characters with loose and open clothing but nothing pornographic. Li Xiao told me Mr Alland simply does not like the more modern forms of art such as manga and anime and, after meeting the man, I am inclined to agree. Such a narrow-viewed person should not be moulding young artistic minds if the only place he can see art is in landscapes and portraits, although he sees nothing wrong with students painting people naked if it is 'Life Art'. The problem with Li Xiao's art is more with the teacher than Li Xiao, although I have suggested that he keeps his more ...risqué work …..for people who can appreciate it. There is no reason to punish Li Xiao for a petty-minded individual's opinion."

"His artwork really isn't so bad then, aru?" Yao said.

"His art skills are actually very good," Ivan told him. "Even Mr Alland acknowledges this, his objection is that Li Xiao's style is not one he accepts as art. Like I said, the problem is with him, not Li Xiao."

"Very well," Yao replied. "But punishment for the bathroom stunt stands, aru?"

"Da," Ivan agreed. "And I believe I have found a house for us. It has one floor so no stairs and three bedrooms. One for us, one for Li Xiao and a spare room, should we have a guest to stay and there is a garden so there will be space for Li Xiao and maybe a pet. It is five minutes drive from the Rescue Station and close to Li Xiao's school so it would be perfect. Shall I request a viewing to see if it is as good as it seems?"

"Shi  _ ( yes ) ," _ Yao agreed. "We need a permanent home, for Li Xiao if for no other reason, aru."

"Khorosho ( _ Good _ )," Ivan concurred and gave Yao a kiss. "I will contact the real-estate agent and arrange the viewing. Have you remember that we are going to dinner with Matvey and Aleks tomorrow night?"

"Shi," Yao looked a little apprehensive. "Do you think it will be all right?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Matvey and Aleks know about your blindness and they are good people. They are eager to meet you and Li Xiao and I think, in time, we might tell them the truth about why we came here. Maybe when we are finally settled, da?" Yao would love not to hide their life from others but he had yet to meet Matthew Williams and Aleksander Dragov so he would reserve judgement until he knew them better.

"Maybe," he replied, non-committally. He worried about both revealing their secret and placing their new friends in danger, should Natalya come looking for Ivan. Yao had learn much about his soulmate's life since meeting him. He got the impression that Ivan was intimidating to most people but that it made Ivan feel isolated from others and, therefore, lonely. It sounded like his father loved him but he was not very demonstrative with his fatherly affection. His half-sister, Katyusha gave Ivan the open affection that he craved but she left when she married her soulmate, leaving Ivan with the only other affectionate member of his family. Too affectionate!

Ivan explained how they were always together when they were children and even then, Natalya was showing signs of possessiveness, resenting it whenever Katyusha and Ivan spent time together. When she hit puberty, she became a nightmare and her relentless pursuit of Ivan began. At first Ivan thought she was just clingy and needed her big brother but then things began happening. Anyone who saw past the intimidating façade and approached him with signs of friendship began to mysteriously get hurt and one girl ended up in hospital when a large stone fell on her from the top of a building and she was lucky she was not killed. After connections were made, Ivan was considered a dangerous person to be around and all but family avoided him. It was a very lonely time for Ivan who began to think of himself as cursed until an incident happened that explained his bad luck. Yao had not believed his ears when Ivan told him about when Natalya suddenly tried to force her attentions on him, kissing him passionately and he pushed her away in shock and some disgust.

 

_ " What are you doing, Natalya?" Ivan demanded. "A sister does not kiss her brother that way!" _

_ " Don't deny it, brother!" she replied, trying to kiss him again. "We are destined to be together. Marry me, brother and it will make our hearts beat! Marry me, marry me, marry me ….." _

_ " You are insane!" Ivan exclaimed and he pushed her away again. "How can you believe that is normal? Our hearts will never beat because siblings are never soulmates and I will never love you that way!" _

_ " Who will love you that way, brother?" Natalya demanded. "That little hussy who thought to steal your affection from me. She couldn't tempt you from her hospital bed, could she!" _

_" It was you!" Ivan stared at Natalya in shock. "You dropped that rock on Saskia! You almost killed her and all she wanted to be was my friend. How could you do such a thing?"_

_ " She didn't want to just be your friend," Natalya hissed. "None of them wanted to just be your friend. They wanted you for themselves and take you from me but I wasn't going to allow it!" Ivan realised just what had been befalling his friends. _

_ " Everyone who wanted to be my friend!" he breathed. "Everyone who was hurt! That was you!" He backed away from her and she tried to follow him. _

_ " STAY AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted and ran from her. _

 

_ Ivan had spoken to his father about Natalya, about her inappropriate feelings for him and her actions against his would-have-been friends, almost ending in an innocent girl's death and Dmitri agreed that Natalya was disturbed and needed help but her obsession just got worse, finally leading to Ivan taking his soul mate and running to Canada. _

Yao thought about how hard it must have been for Ivan to have a family member that was that insane. Yao's family could be crazy but it was that eccentric crazy, like Li Xiao's creative use of fireworks or Im Yong Soo's tenancy to claim to have invented things and suddenly saying Da-ze! Natalya's brand of crazy was something Yao could not get his head around but one thing was clear. Natalya mental state had a negative affect on all around her, after all it was because of her that they were far from their former lives now and he was unable to experience the joy of having found his soulmate because it placed them all in extreme danger. He prayed she never found them.

* * *

Matthew sat with Aleks and his soulmate, Vladimir, a strawberry-blonde man who's unusual eyes looked more red than brown, with a dental condition that made him look like he had fangs and Aleks would often joke about him being 'His Little Vampire'. They were just waiting for Ivan and his little family to arrive and Matthew looked forward to learning more about them. Ivan was friendly enough but he never spoke much about his life before coming to Canada and he hoped Yao would talk more about themselves and that maybe Ivan might open up because he could not help but feel that maybe the reason why Ivan never talked about his past was because he had left his home country for a reason. Something he did not want them to know but Matthew just hoped he was being paranoid. His thoughts were interrupted as Ivan came into the restaurant, accompanied by a Chinese man and teenager. Matthew waved to them and Ivan smiled at the group as he held Yao's arm and lead him and Li Xiao over to the table.

"Hello, Ivan," Matthew greeted when he reached them. "Did you have any trouble finding the restaurant?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied, pulling out a chair for Yao while Li Xiao took the next one and Yao sat down, followed by Ivan. "This is my soulmate, Wang Yao and his younger brother Li Xiao. Yao, Li Xiao, this is Matthew Williams and Aleksander Dragov."

"Hello, Yao, Li Xiao," Matthew replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Aleks said. "This is my soulmate, Vladimir Lupei." Vladimir smiled at them exposing his teeth.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Are you a vampire?" Li Xiao asked.

"Li Xiao!" Yao snapped. "Mind your manners, you are in enough trouble! Please accept my apologises for my brother's rudeness. He'll stop now if he doesn't want to be grounded more than he has been, aru."

"Oh dear!" Aleks chuckled, looking at Li Xiao. "What have you done?"

"He blew up the school rest-room," Ivan replied, like he was saying Li Xiao had skipped school. "He likes fireworks." Li Xiao sulked.

"I blew up one toilet," he muttered. "Don't exaggerate!"

"Would you like to see the menus, sirs," the waiter asked as he came up to the table and everybody took one to choose their meals while the waiter took their drinks order. LI Xiao tried to ask for a beer but was firmly told he could have soda instead.

"So Ivan," Aleks ploughed right in. "What made you leave Russia?"

"Family issues," he replied. "My family has always had difficulties and, when I met Yao, it made impossible to stay. Life would have been …. too difficult." Matthew felt that Ivan was being honest but that he was not tell them everything.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he answered. "Finding your soulmate should be a happy moment. How did you and Yao meet?"

"We met in a store, shopping," Yao replied. "Li Xiao and I were taking a trip around Russia and were spending time in Moscow. We needed groceries so we went to a nearby store and Ivan and I, quite literally, bumped into each other, aru."

"Yeah," Li Xiao agreed. "He knocked you on your ass."

"An accident, as well you know, Mladshiy brat," Ivan defended himself.

"What does Mladshiy brat mean?" Vladimir asked.

"It's Russian," Ivan replied. "It means 'Little Brother'. That's what Li Xiao became when Yao started my heart beating. I always wanted a brother and I will look after him as one." Li Xiao muttered something about not needing a baby sitter.

"Any sisters?" Matthew asked. He noticed that Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao suddenly stiffened at the question and wondered at the reason.

"My older sister, Katyusha, is soulmate and married to an Estonian," Ivan replied. "Her husband is a good man and she is very happy." Once again, Matthew got that feeling that Ivan was holding back but if. it was about family, Matthew did not think he should pry. Ivan would tell them in time if he was going to.

"So," Ivan turned to Aleks and Vlad. "How did you two meet?"

"We met when we were learning to fly," Vlad replied. "As it turned out, I wasn't suited to flying. I got airsick, even as the pilot so I dropped out but by that time, Aleks and I discovered we were soulmates which I wouldn't have done if I hadn't tried so I guess everything happens for a reason." Yao smiled.

"There's no such thing as a coincidence, aru," he said. Then the waiter returned and they gave their orders.

"So how's your house-hunting going?" Matthew asked when the waiter had left.

"We believe we may have found somewhere," Ivan replied. "We'll be going to a viewing soon so we will see. If it is suitable, we will be only five minutes drive from the Rescue Station."

"That will be convenient for you," Aleks commented.

"Da," Ivan replied. "It is closer to Li Xiao's school too." A sarcastic 'yay' came from the direction of the teenager.

"How has life been for you since coming to Canada, Yao?" Vladimir asked.

"Good," Yao replied. "Although I haven't been out and about much since getting here. With Ivan working and Li Xiao in school, opportunities to get to used to the area are rare. aru."

"I would very much like Yao to be able to get out more," Ivan said. "But I must work and Li Xiao must study. I take Yao about when I can but ….."

"I could visit Yao while you work," Vlad offered. "I haven't much to do during the day and, once everything's done, we can go about and Yao can get used to the local area if that's all right with you." Ivan was happy with the invitation but it was not his decision.

"That is for Yao to decide," he replied. "What do you say, Yao?" Yao considered the invitation. He would like to get to know his new home better and Vladimir sounded like a genuine person, he just worried that he might let something slip in an unguarded moment. But the idea of freedom from being stuck in the house was too tempting.

"I would like that, aru," he smiled and Vlad smiled too.

"Great!" he replied. "While these three are at work tomorrow and Li Xiao is at school, I'll take you around the town and we can go to this little coffee shop I know on the main street. We can keep each other company while this lot are off playing at being heroes."

Everyone laughed and then their meals began to arrive. Ivan was happy with how well this had gone, with Yao having a potential friend to keep him company and the others including him and Li Xiao in their little circle. He finally felt that things were settling into normalcy.

* * *

Natalya had her plan. She had begun to take flying lessons, just as Ivan had done and then she would get training with helicopter piloting which would be useful when she finally found Ivan but first she had to find him and Canada was a big country, second only to Russia itself and there were many, many mountain rescue teams and there was the added problem of Eduard monitoring her online activity, making it harder to search. She had to get another online access point and cover her tracks. She did not want to raise any red flags that Eduard could detect and report to her father and once she actually found Ivan, there was the problem of leaving Russia but she had a plan for that too. As long as her father did not realise that the passport he had confiscated was a fake. Nothing would get between her and her beloved Big Brother!

 

 

 


	4. Joy And Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan and Yao are about to move on to the next stage of their lives.

** _**Chapter 4 : Joy And Fear** _ **

  
  


Life was good for Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao. The house was perfect and Ivan put in an offer and snapped it up. Because it was already empty, they were able to move in immediately and Matthew, Aleks and Vlad helped them to move in and they finally had a permanent home. Yao spent his time with Vlad when Ivan was working and Li Xiao was at school and he met other people but Vlad became his best friend. Ivan and Yao decided not to tell their friends about Natalya and their reasons for coming to Canada as they felt it was unlikely that she would find them here and they just wanted to get on with their lives out of her shadow.

Three years had passed and Ivan was finally happy with his life. He loved his job, finally had friends and he loved his soulmate. Having Li Xiao as a pseudo-little brother was an unexpected bonus and he was graduating from school and would be going to college next year. Yao and Ivan were so proud of Li Xiao and Ivan finally decided that it was time. He made an unexpected stop in town and booked a table at a restaurant for himself and Yao when Li Xiao would be out at a party being thrown by one of his friends so it would be just the two of them and Ivan had big plans. Ivan and Yao were shown to their table and, while Yao could get around by himself now, this was a new restaurant and he was not familiar with the layout so Ivan lead him and guided him into his seat. The waiter took their drinks order and left them alone.

"Is this for a special occasion that I have forgotten, aru?" Yao asked.

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "You have forgotten nothing, Podsolnukh. I thought it would be nice to have an evening to ourselves while Li Xiao is being entertained elsewhere." Yao could hear something in Ivan's voice, an undercurrent of nervousness or excitement. Excitement, Yao had heard in Ivan's voice before but nervousness was not something Yao associated with his soulmate unless Natalya was mentioned which was rarely. This seemed to be a mixture of both as if Ivan had something planned and was unsure of how it would turn out.

"Li Xiao doesn't mean to be underfoot, aru," Yao defended his little brother.

"And he is not," Ivan replied. "I am very fond of Li Xiao, you know this but it's nice to have an evening alone. Truth is, I will miss Mladshiy Brat when he leaves for college and I'm sure you will too."

"Shi," Yao replied. "And I will worry about him but I must let him become his own person. I have been a burden on him for too long, aru." Ivan cocked his head.

"I do not think he see you as a burden," he said. Ivan knew that Li Xiao had been his older brother's help and support while dealing with his blindness and Yao sometimes felt that Li Xiao was more his guardian than the other way round. "You have been a good guardian to your brother, he just wanted to be there for you, like you were for him. It is the way of families." Then he gave that statement some thought. "Normal families," he added, thinking of Natalya.

"Shi," Yao replied. "But now, he should live his own life. He is young and, I may be bias here, intelligent. Time to go out into the world and use that intelligence, aru."

"Da," Ivan agreed. "And he will! And we will be here when he comes home again, like a normal family." Yao smiled and then the waiter returned with their drinks and menus. There was not one in Braille so Ivan read the menu out to Yao and they selected their meals and the waiter went away again. They made small talk, Yao telling Ivan about his day with Vlad and Ivan talking about the trip to take an injured skier to the hospital and they chatted like this until their meals arrived.

While they were waiting for dessert, Yao could hear Ivan's fingers tapping nervously on the table and wondered what was bothering him. This was not normal for Ivan and Yao had to know what was wrong.

"Ivan, is there a problem, aru?" he asked. Ivan looked up at Yao.

"Nyet," he denied. "Why would you think so?"

"Something in your voice." Yao replied. "And you've been tapping your fingers on the table for the last five minutes. There is something wrong, isn't there, aru!" Yao felt Ivan take his hand.

"Nyet, Podsolnukh," Ivan replied. "Nothing is wrong." Then he held Yao's hand in both of his.

"Yao," he said. "Podsolnukh. Soulmate. I love our life together but there is one thing left to make it perfect." One hand let go of Yao's and then Ivan pulled Yao's hand forward and placed it on Ivan's other hand and Yao felt something there. A box, small and felt like it was covered in velvet. Yao nervously picked it up and ran his fingers over it, feeling the hinge at the back and lifted the lid. He felt inside and his fingers made contact with something metallic in the shape of a small hoop and on the top was a lump of something smooth.

"The stone is Jade," Ivan said. "It has special significance in your culture, da?"

"Shi," Yao replied, breathlessly as he realised just why Ivan had been so nervous.

"It's an engagement ring," Ivan clarified. "Yao. Podsolnukh. Soulmate. Would you please do me the honour of marrying me?"

Yao could barely breath. He had not been expecting this but, on reflection, he should had realised that, perhaps he should have. After all, they were soulmates and marriage was the next logical step but he was still completely taken by surprise. He supposed it was because he already felt married to Ivan. They lived in the same house, slept in the same bed, did everything married couples do but have the same name and they loved each other. The decision was easy.

Ivan waited, on edge, while Yao took a moment to get over the surprise. What would Yao do? Would he say yes? Would he say no? Ivan was tempted to bite his nails as he waited for Yao's answer.

"Ivan, Wǒ shǎle éguó xióng ( _ _ My silly Russian bear _ _ )," Yao replied. "Of course I will, aru!" Ivan did not just smile at Yao's answer, he positively beamed and he leant over the table and kissed Yao. Then he took the ring out of the box and slid it on to Yao's finger. Yao took Ivan's arm, stood up and hugged his now Russian fiancé. Ivan hugged Yao back and thanked the heavens for his happy life.

* * *

She had finally found him! After three years, Natalya finally knew where Ivan was. It had taken her three long years of sneaking around, searching on laptops and computers, other than her own, when she had the opportunity. She knew it would be a dead end but Natalya first searched under Arlovsky with no success, not that she expected any and then she tried various names but it was only when she came up empty that she tried something so obvious that she never really thought that Ivan would use it. Their mother's maiden name so Natalya tried Braginski.

There were a lot of rescue teams in Canada and looking through them all took time but finally she found a team that had a member called Ivan Braginski and she did not know whether her brother had been very stupid or very clever. But she knew Ivan was far from stupid and she had ignored the possibility of Ivan using such an obvious name so she went with clever. No matter! She had his name now and where he was. All she had to do now was find a way out of Russia without being stopped by her father and lose her unwanted chaperone.

And she already had a plan.

* * *

A small engagement party was held at the house for friends, neighbours and colleagues as everyone came to congratulate the happy couple. It was already decided that Li Xiao would be Best Man and Vlad would stand as support for Yao and Matthew and Aleks would be attendants. What ceremony would be used would be discussed at a later date but one thing was certain, they wanted their friends and family around them. That would be easier for Yao than Ivan. There was no problem for Yao's family to come for the wedding but, as much as Ivan wanted Katyusha and his father there, it was too dangerous to send a message, should Natalya intercept it.

"So, finally taking the plunge," Aleks commented, sipping his drink. "About time!"

"You can talk," Matthew replied. "When are you going to ask Vlad, eh?" Ivan drank a mouthful from his glass, wishing it could be vodka but they were on call.

"Da," Ivan agreed. "Your turn next, moy drug."

"Tell me about it!" Aleks declared. "Vlad's been giving me cow eyes ever since you proposed to Yao. Thanks for making my life harder, Ivan."

"My pleasure, moy drug," Ivan smirked. Suddenly, all their pagers went off and they looked at them as they all flashed emergency. Ivan and Aleks went to Yao and Vlad.

"I'm sorry, Podsolnukh," Ivan apologised to his fiancé. "There's an emergency, I must go. I'll be back as soon as I can." He gave Yao a kiss while Aleks gave similar apologies to Vlad before the two of them, along with Matthew, headed out of the door.

"The burdens of being a soulmate to a mountain rescuer, I'm afraid, Yao," Vlad commented. Yao just smiled.

"I can live with it, aru!"

* * *

Sergei Mikhaylov tailed Natalya, keeping his purple eyed gaze on her as she walked through the local shopping mall, mostly looking through windows at the merchandise on sale, seemingly innocuous but Sergei knew better than to be fooled by that. He had been made well aware of Natalya's unstable nature, especially where her older brother was concerned. She had been making searches on her laptop for Ivan's whereabouts but she did not seem to get anywhere, which was a relief for her father. Sergei had never been close enough to see into Natalya's eyes but he prayed she was not his soulmate. Oh, she was pretty enough but boy, was she nuts!

Natalya had finally seen her father-approved stalker at a distance, a man in his twenties with black hair but she was too far away to see his eyes but he was definitely following her, no matter how much he tried to look like just another shopper in the mall and that was the one she had to shake off. She just had to pick her moment.

Sergei watched as Natalya followed a woman with a hooded coat into the ladies rest-room, the one place he could not go and he found himself a spot where he could keep a eye on the door without attracting undue attention.

* * *

The woman in the hooded coat was nearly finished with her shopping but she had to visit the rest-room and she was aware of the silvery blonde hair girl that had followed her in. She went into a cubicle and heard the girl do the same and, after she answered Nature's Call, she went to wash her hands and as she dried them, she heard the other cubicle door opened. Then she felt a blow to the back of her head and everything went black.

* * *

Sergei was getting nervous. Natalya had been in the rest-room for a while, much longer than he thought she would and then the door opened. The woman in the hooded coat came out, looking down as she fastened her coat while she walked away. Sergei waited a little while longer before he became suspicious and he went over to the rest-room and opened the door.

An unfamiliar woman was unconscious on the floor, stripped down to her underwear and Sergei cursed. The woman in the coat had to be Natalya so she knew he had been following her and he had to admit she had been clever. General Arlovsky was not going to like this! Sergei called over a mall guard to report the woman's attack to get her help and he took out his phone to give General Winter the bad news.

* * *

"What news do we have?" Dmitri demanded of Sergei who had returned from the airport. General Arlovsky had checked Natalya's confiscated passport and realised that it was not the real one and had immediately tried to put the airport on alert to watch out for her, only to be told that she had already boarded a plane.

"It seems she boarded a plane to Oslo, Norway," Sergei replied. "I'm not sure why she went there."

"I might know," Eduard replied. "Natalya's online activity suggests that she found someone there that might be her brother. Someone called Ivan Antonov who sounds similar to Ivan. Of course we know that it's not him but …."

"Once she realises that," Dmitri finished. "She'll look again and this time she might find where he really is." He turned to Sergei. "I want you to go to Oslo, find her and bring her back. I want her where I can see her. See to it!" Sergei resigned himself to his fate.

"Yes sir!" he sighed and left.

"Should we warn Ivan?" Eduard asked. Dmitri shook his head.

"She's not going to Canada," he replied. "If she was, I would but I see no point in disturbing Ivan or his soulmate so no! We'll leave them in peace."

* * *

No sooner had Natalya departed the plane in Oslo, she was at the desk, purchasing a ticket for the next plane to Canada. She knew her father would track her here and send someone after her but thanks to the fake trail she had left on her computer, whoever he sent would waste time looking for her and 'Ivan Antonov', a personality she had faked to buy her time to locate Ivan and deal with his 'soulmate'. This time nothing would stop her as she boarded the plane to Ontario and then on to where she would find her beloved brother.

" _Soon, Ivan_ ," she thought as the plane climbed into the air and began the journey to Canada. " _Soon I'll deal with your so-called soulmate and we will finally become one. I'm coming for you, brother!_ "

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just when things were going well!


	5. Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concerning things begin to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for any wrong translations.

 

** _**Chapter Five : Danger!** _ **

  
  


The  _ whomp, whomp, whomp _ of the helicopter blades sounded over their heads as they flew over the landscape to their destination. Someone had taken a tumble in an inaccessible area so it was up to the rescue helicopter to get to them and take them to the nearest hospital. Matthew looked over the shoulders of both pilots as they whirled their way to the rescue.

"So, Ivan," he said, over the sound of the blades. "Have you and Yao set the date yet?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "But we are thinking before Li Xiao goes to college so he can be there and the rest of Yao's family can join us for the wedding."

"What about your family?" Aleksander asked while keeping his eyes on where they were going. "You mentioned your father and an older sister, will they be coming?" Ivan just stared straight ahead.

"Nyet," he replied. "They won't be able to make it." It made Ivan a little sad that his older sister and even his father would not be able to be there at his wedding. Maybe, at some point, they would be able to have a second ceremony that his family could attend but something radical would have to happen where Natalya was concerned first.

Aleks gave a quick glance at Matthew. There was something going on with Ivan's family, they were both picking up on that. He rarely spoke of his family and he only ever mentioned his sister, Katyusha and, on occasion, his father and, if they had not picked a date, how did Ivan know his family would not be able to come? There was more to this than Ivan was letting on but it was clear that he was not going to divulge his family secrets any time soon and they did not feel they could confront him about it, assuming there was anything to confront. It could be that Ivan had had a painful falling out with his family, in which case, it was none of their business. All talking stopped as they came into view of the accident scene and they concentrated on the task at hand.

* * *

Natalya sat in the nondescript car, watching the Rescue Station at a distance as the helicopter returned and landed. The blades slowed to a halt and the crew departed, giving the helicopter the once over while ground crew began to refuel it for the next emergency. Natalya's eyes immediately went to the tall figure of Ivan as he checked the tail rotor. She smiled after not seeing him for so long and soon they would become one. She just had to find out who this Yao was and deal with him.

She hung around until Ivan left and she followed his car as Ivan drove home, unaware that his stalker sister was on his tail and she followed him for five minutes before he pulled into the drive of a one-level house and she waited for him to go in before she got out of her car and made her way to the window and peered inside. She could see a Chinese man sat in a chair, seemingly reading a book without looking at it, running his fingers across the pages and then it clicked. He was reading Braille! The man was blind!

Ivan came into the room and the Chinese man's head turned in Ivan's direction as Ivan went up to the man and lightly kissed him in greet and Natalya realised that this was Yao and she growled her jealously of his affection for the man she considered to be hers. How dare that …. that ….. _blind_ _man_ think he could take Ivan from her! She would make him pay! Ivan was hers! Then she heard footsteps coming toward the house and hid. Another Chinese person came into view, a teenager this time and he went through the front door calling, "I'm home!"

 _'_ _That must be Li Xiao ,_' Natalya thought. _'He could be useful to deal with Ivan's soulmate. I'll keep an eye on him. In the meantime, I better deal with that little matter!'_   With one last look at the house, she went back to her car and then to her motel to make plans.

* * *

Sergei had a monumental task ahead of him. Natalya had arrived but she would not be easy to find so he began looking for this Ivan Antonov, knowing that she would turn up around him sooner or later but Natalya had tried to wipe her search history. Eduard had managed to recover some but not all and Ivan Antonov's address was missing so Sergei had to find him but Norway had a lot of people to search through.

This was going to take time.

* * *

Yao may have been blind but he had something of a sixth sense about some things and, right now, he could sense that he was being watched and had sensed it for the past few weeks. It happened a lot when he first went to Alaska and then in Canada as he dressed in traditional Chinese attire which was eye-catching to others in a different country but, once the novelty wore off and people became used to it, the sensation of being stared at disappeared. This was not disappearing and Yao could feel someone's undivided attention aimed at him.

"Is someone staring at us, aru?" he asked Vladimir as they sat in their usual coffee shop. Vlad look around at the other customers in the shop but no one seemed to be staring them or even looking quickly away when he looked them. Everyone else seemed to be involved in their own business and paying no attention to the Chinese man and the Romanian then a movement caught his eye and he looked toward the window but there was no one there looking in, just people walking past, going along their way.

"I can't see anyone," he replied. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Yao said. "I just get the feeling that someone's watching me, aru." Vlad frowned.

"Why would someone bother doing that, Yao?" he asked. "You don't have an enemy in the world." Yao became silent and Vlad frowned again, wondering whether he was wrong about that. They knew next to nothing about Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao before they came to Canada but a family issue had been mentioned. Vlad wondered if it was something to do with that.

"Can we leave, aru?" Yao asked. He did not look at all comfortable so Vlad stood.

"Okay," he said. Yao stood and he and Vlad left the coffee shop.

* * *

Natalya peered at the two men through the window of the coffee shop, her gaze firmly on her rival. She had been watching him for some time now while she waited for her work visa to be approved but she did not anticipate any problems with that. She was a fully-qualified pilot of both planes and helicopters and, in a country as vast as Canada, piloting skills would be welcome.

When she first saw Yao with Vlad, she wondered if the Chinese man was cheating on her brother which made her seethe with anger at the idea that anyone would do that to Ivan but, even to her unstable gaze, it was obvious that the two were never more than just friends which was a pity. She might have been able to use that against Yao. She even saw Yao and Ivan together, sometimes with Li Xiao and it sickened her how loving they were with each other. Ivan was hers and she would make sure that both Yao and Ivan knew it.

She saw Yao ask Vlad something and Vlad looked up and gaze around the shop and she hid, not wanting him to see her staring and tell Yao whom she had no doubt had been told what she looked like and would tell Ivan but she was not ready to reveal herself just yet. The two men got up from their chairs and Natalya ran for her car, staring at them from the driver's seat, especially at Yao. She could see nothing special about him that she could not surpass (in her own mind) and she grew angry at Yao for stealing Ivan from her, angry at Ivan for allowing himself to be stolen and angry at fate for trying to pull Ivan and her apart but her particular hatred settled on Yao. If he was out of the picture …...

She saw Vlad put his hand on Yao's arm as they walked to the crossing on the corner and waited for the walk sign to light up and she started the car as the sign went to walk and pulled out. When they were part way across, she stepped on the accelerator and shot toward them.

* * *

Vlad heard a car start up and never thought anything of it as he and Yao began to cross the road, then he heard the car accelerate and turned to look down the road. His eyes widen as he saw a grey car coming right at them at high speed and he grabbed Yao and ran with him to escape the oncoming car. Yao had heard the car then heard it speed up. The next thing he knew, he was seized by Vlad, he guessed and rushed forward and then he was falling to the ground. He felt himself landed on someone but then his forehead hit something hard and then he knew nothing.

Vlad dove to get them both out of the path of the car, turning as they fell, trying to put himself in between Yao and the asphalt. The car missed them by inches and shot away while people, who were not in shock, came running to their aid.

"Are you all right, Yao?" he asked, sitting up. Yao did not answer and Vlad turned to his friend and found him unconscious. He pulled on Yao's shoulder, rolling him onto his back and found that he had not completely protected Yao. Yao's head had hit the road and blood was streaming from the head wound.

"YAO!" he yelled and turned to the crowd who had come to assist them. "Can somebody call an ambulance, please?" Someone took out their phone while Vlad tried to assist his friend, ignoring the mutterings going on around him.

_ We should call the police too. That was practically a hit-and-run! _

_ That was no hit-and-run! The car drove straight at them! _

_ What! You mean it was attempted murder! _

The ambulance arrived within minutes and, after a quick examination, they took Yao to the hospital along with Vlad and on the way, Vlad called Ivan.

* * *

Ivan was at the hospital in no time, along with Aleks and Matthew after getting another crew to cover them (they could not go out with only one pilot and no winch man), his heart was pounding at the thought of his soulmate being injured. All Vlad could tell him was there was an accident, that Yao had been hurt and Ivan raced to the hospital, to find Vlad in the A & E waiting room while the medical staff were seeing to Yao. He was sipping coffee as he waited for them.

"Vladimir!" Ivan called out and Vlad turned to look at Ivan and came toward him.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"A car almost hit us," Vlad replied. "I managed to pull Yao out of its path but he hit his head when we fell. I didn't see the driver, they drove off. I'm sorry!" Ivan shook off the apology.

"Yao could have been killed if the car had hit him," he said. "I am grateful! How is Yao?"

"The doctor's still with him," Vlad said. "He was unconscious when we were brought in. The car just came right at us." Aleks went to his soulmate's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked, putting his arms around him. Vlad nodded.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Yao took the worst but I swear I tried to brace his fall!"

"Are you all with Wang Yao?"

A doctor, holding a clipboard, had come up to them while they talked and Ivan turned to him.

"I'm his soulmate, Ivan Braginski" he said. "How is he, doctor?"

"He's still unconscious," the doctor replied. "We don't think there's any severe brain damage but we're going to give him a scan, just to be sure. Concussion is possible but we'll keep an eye on that and we would like to keep him in, to be safe. Is there anything in Yao's medical history we should know?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Yao is blind as the result of an accident some years ago. He has some damage that blocks his sight. It is considered too dangerous to repair." The doctor made notes on the clipboard.

"Thank you," he said. "I will let you know when Yao is back from his scan and please, try not to worry!" The doctor walked away and Vladimir shook his head.

"I still don't understand what happened," he admitted. "If I didn't know better, I could have swore that the car was deliberately driven at us. Yao even felt like someone was watching him!" Ivan gave him a look and pulled out his phone, walking away for some privacy while he made an urgent call, leaving his friends looking after him in confusion.

"What's going on?" Matthew mused.

* * *

Ivan found the number for his father's private phone and called it. After what Vladimir had said, he had to know if Natalya had found out where he was and left Russia for Canada. She was the only one who would mean Yao that kind of harm and if she hit Vlad as well, to her that would be collateral damage so he had to know, not only to protect Yao but to protect his friends and Li Xiao as well.

Dmitri Arlovsky was surprised to see his son on his phone's caller-id. Ivan had not called in nearly four years, although Dmitri knew where Ivan was and was proud of the life his son had forged for himself and his little family. He even knew about Ivan's engagement to his soulmate and he wondered why his son had broken communication silence after so long. Whatever the reason, it had to be serious. He pressed to accept the call to hear what his son had to say.

"Privet, moy sin ( _ Hello, my son _ )," he greeted.

 

"Privet, Otets ( _Hello,_ _ Father _ )," Ivan replied. It was good to hear his father's voice again after so long but Ivan had a very important question for him. "Father, is Natalya still in Moscow?" Okay! Not what Dmitri expect Ivan to say and he did not know whether he had good or bad news for him.

"Nyet," Ivan's beating heart almost stopped at his father's reply but he took a little comfort at his next words. "We believe that she is in Oslo. She thinks you're there under the name Ivan Antonov and I've sent one of my best people to retrieve her. Why?"

"Yao was almost hit by a car today," Ivan replied. "Thanks to a friend, the car missed but Yao was still injured. The driver was not caught and Vladimir said it looked like the car was driven at them so I thought ….."

"Yes, I can imagine," Dmitri interrupted. "Everything points to Natalya being in Norway but I will contact Sergei and see what progress he has made. Take care until I contact you again. Good luck, moy sin!"

"Thank you," Ivan replied. "I'm waiting for your call. Tell Katyusha I miss her. D a  svidania ! ( _ Goodbye! _ )."

"Da svidania, Ivan!" Dmitri said and the call ended. Dmitri scrolled through his contacts, found Sergei's number and pressed call.

* * *

Ivan put his phone away and went back to wait with his friends for the doctor to tell him he could see Yao and found the other three men staring at him. They had watched him as he spoke on the phone and, while they did not hear what was said, they knew it had not been a social call.

"Is there something wrong, Ivan," Matthew asked. Ivan had to decide if he should tell them or not, if Natalya was in Norway. If she was then she had nothing to do with what happened to Yao so he decided to wait until he heard more from his father.

"Everything is fine," Ivan replied. "I was just telling my father what happened. He was … concerned." The other men just looked at each other.

"Ivan, if there is something wrong," Aleks said. "You can tell us. We'll do what we can to help, you know." Ivan gave a small smile. This is what he had always wanted. Friends who would want to help him when he was in need and, if he needed help, he would ask.

"Of course," he replied. "And I will ask if I need help, I promise!" But the others were not ignorant of the fact that Ivan had dodged the question and there was no opportunity to call him on it as the doctor returned to tell Ivan that Yao was back and he could see him.

* * *

Natalya cursed her temper! When she saw Yao and the other one crossing the road, all she could think of was one fast drive and the one who was stealing her brother from her would be gone. Yes, she might have hit the innocent one as well but it was a small price to pay for her date with destiny. But now that she thought about it, she thought it was a stupid move. It might alert Ivan to her presence and she did not want him to know she was here just yet but, if Ivan contacted their father, he would learn that she was in Norway. As long as no one realised that she just used Oslo as a way to get to Canada.

The car would have to go! They would be looking for it as a near hit-and-run vehicle so she drove it out of town to a secluded area. She took a gas can out of the trunk and began throwing the contents over the car and inside it. When the can was empty, she threw the can into the car, stepped away and struck a match. She threw the match on to the car and the gasoline ignited, engulfing the car in fire and she walked away from the inferno.

When she was half a mile away, the car exploded.

* * *

Yao woke up the next day. He was disorientated at first as nothing was familiar and the headache did not help. Sounds, smells, even what he was lying on felt strange but there was one thing that was familiar. The feel of Ivan's hand in his and it stopped him from panicking and he squeezed Ivan's hand.

"Podsolnukh," he heard Ivan's voice say and felt Ivan's lips press against his forehead. "How are you feeling?" Yao groaned.

"My head hurts," he moaned. "And my throat is dry." Yao felt Ivan let go of his hand and then he heard the sound of running water. The sound stopped and Ivan took his hand and put a glass into it. Ivan continued to support Yao's hand as he brought it to his lips and tasted the sweet, thirst-banishing water and savoured it as it eased his dry throat.

"What happened?" Yao asked. He had realised that he was in a hospital which he was familiar with from when he had the accident that stole his sight.

"You were almost hit by a car," Ivan replied. "Vladimir pulled you out of the way but you hit your head. The doctor said there's no damage and you escaped concussion but you've been out for a full day."

_"_ Yeah," Li Xiao's voice said. "You worried us, Dàgē! _(_ _ Big Brother! _ )." Yao held out his other hand and felt it being taken.

"Sorry, Li Xiao," he replied with a little laugh. "I'll try to avoid cars from now on."

"You could not have avoided this one," Ivan replied. "Vlad seems to think the car came straight at you. And Vlad mentioned you felt like you were being watched." Yao went still.

"Could it be Natalya, aru?" he asked, not without a little fear.

"I called my father," Ivan replied. "Natalya is not in Moscow but Father thinks that she went to Norway, thinking that I'm there and he has someone looking for her there but I think we should be cautious for a while."

"I'm postponing college until Psycho Bitch is caught," Li Xiao replied.

"Nyet!"

"Bú yào!" ( _ _Don't_! _ )" Yao and Ivan both spoke together.

"I can protect your brother," Ivan said, adamantly. "And if I feel I can't, I will get help, even send Yao back to China if I must but you will not sacrifice your education!"

"I agree!" Yao replied. "You have worked hard for your place in college, don't throw it away. It may not even be her. It maybe that someone accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake and then panicked when they almost hit us, aru."

"My father is finding out what his subordinate has uncovered," Ivan replied. "He will call us with more information. There is no need to panic yet."

* * *

Natalya had acquired a new car and she sat in her motel room, making plans. She would continued to watch Yao and Ivan but make no more moves while she waited for the much needed work visa. It did not matter if the police found the burnt-out car, it could not be trace back to her as she had stolen it in Ottawa. With it burnt beyond recognition, there would no finger prints or forensics for the police to use. Once the visa was approved she would make her move. It meant an innocent person being hurt but it was necessary to bring her and Ivan back together so she could live with it.

Becoming one with Ivan was all that mattered.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ivan's in for a shock.


	6. Oncoming Storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things are going to happen.

 

** _**Chapter 6 : Oncoming Storms** _ **

  
  


Sergei was making no headway with locating this Ivan Antonov but he had a lot to look through. Electoral rolls, phone books, internet, anything he could find with names but, so far, nothing. He was about to go through the electoral roll of another region when his phone rang. He looked at the caller-id and groaned when he saw General Arlovsky in his phone screen but ignoring it was not an option. General Arlovsky always seemed to know so Sergei pressed answer.

"Privet, General Arlovsky," he greeted. Dmitri did not mess around.

"Privet, Sergei," he replied. "What progress have you made so far?"

"Well, Natalya definitely came here," Sergei reported. "After her arrival, there was no sign so I'm trying to find Ivan Antonov. No luck so far but I'll keep trying."

"Make sure Natalya is still in Norway!" Dmitri ordered. "Someone tried to run Yao down in Canada and he was injured. It could be just a near hit and run but Ivan needs assurance that it wasn't Natalya so he can keep his soulmate safe."

"I'll go back to the airport," Sergei replied. "And see if she left Norway before I arrived. I will call you when I know."

"The second you find out anything," the General said. "We need to find her, Sergei!"

"We will, General," Sergei vowed. "I'll go to the airport now. I will talk to you soon." Sergei ended the call and hoped Natalya was still in Norway. He feared for the General's son and soulmate if she was not.

* * *

Ivan had not had the best start to the day. First, it had been raining over-night, melting some of the snow blowing off the mountains and creating puddles and his phone fell out of his pocket into one when he was getting out of the car at work and he was too late to rescue it before the water got in and damaged it. Damn! He really needed that phone as he was waiting for his father to get back to him about Natalya. He would have to replace it the first chance he got and send the new number to his father.

The rest of the day was spent with Matthew and Aleks as they sat in the staff room in between rescues which consisted of several skiers warned not to go out on the slopes but went anyway and got into difficulties, someone falling down the stairs at one of the ski lodges that needed air-lifting to hospital and a prank call. Very comical!

At the end of his shift, he returned home to find a police car outside his house and an officer talking to Yao. The police had found the car involved in the near hit-and-run but, and not exactly to their surprise, it was a burnt-out mess and the licence plates were melted but they got the chassis number from the wreckage and traced it to a car that had been stolen in Ottawa a few weeks before and they brought that news to Ivan and Yao.

"We think the thief might have been spooked by something," the officer said. "And took off and your soulmate was simply in their way so they had to dump the car. I'm sorry, we'll keep trying but the chances are, we might never find them."

"Thank you ," Ivan replied. "I know you've done your best, I am grateful."

"Shi," Yao agreed, a bandage still wrapped around his head. "Thank you, officer, aru." The officer gave a smile with a promise to keep trying to find the culprit and left. Yao gave a sigh, whether of relief that the officer was gone or about having no clear idea of who was driving that car was uncertain.

"Everything will be all right, Podsolnukh," Ivan assured him as he sat beside Yao, putting his arm around him. "You heard the officer! It was a stolen car and the thief, perhaps, saw police and was trying to get away from them."

"I would feel better if we knew where Natalya was," Yao replied, snuggling into Ivan's side. "If we were certain she is still in Norway. I hate not knowing! I can't even look over my shoulder and what about Li Xiao, aru? If she's here ….." Ivan hugged the Chinese man closer.

"Shush, Podsolnukh," he said, gently. "I will keep you and Li Xiao safe but I don't want you going anywhere alone until I hear from my father, understand! I could not bear to lose you now, moya rodstvennaya dusha! ( _ _ my soul mate! _ _ )." Ivan put his finger under Yao's chin to lift his head and place his lips over Yao's. Yao leant into the kiss that made him feel safe, Ivan's kiss could always calm him. He wondered what his soulmate looked like, had from the moment they met but he guessed he would never know. Ivan had once allowed Yao to feel his face with his hands and he knew Ivan was tall with a large nose, firm lips and soft hair but that was as close as Yao would ever get to knowing how Ivan looked.

Ivan broke the kiss and looked down into Yao's slowly opening eyes that stared back at him blankly and then he realised that his hand was on Yao's chest over his heart. His silent heart. Ivan knew Yao's heart would never beat and he wished he could feel it, just once but that was wishing for the moon. Ivan had accepted that Yao's heart would never beat but he also knew that Yao was his soulmate and, for him, that was enough.

"I'm home!" they had not heard Li Xiao come in as he walked in on their moment. "Get a room, you two!" And he went to his own room, leaving Ivan and Yao to chuckle.

* * *

It had finally come through! Her work visa! Now Natalya could legally work in Canada and, for what she had planned, that was essential. The Rescue Units would not hire anyone who was not legal and she submitted her resume online to the Rescue Unit HQ. One part depended on luck, however. She had to create an opening on Ivan's rescue team and hope she would be given the job because she was in the area. Now she just had to create that opening!

* * *

Sergei had made a horrible discovery at the airport. Airlines would not normally give out information about passengers but General Arlovsky had provided Sergei with official authorisation to search for his daughter, one Natalya Arlovskaya, missing from her home in a delicate mental state. What they told him shocked him to the core.

Natalya Arlovskaya had arrived in Oslo and immediately purchased a ticket to Ottawa, Canada and paid with cash. She had only stayed in Norway for about two hours. Sergei had suspected nothing because they had been keeping an eye on her bank account and credit cards. There had been nothing to suggest that she had acquired a large amount of cash to take with her, she had really thought this through. Sergei was immediately on his mobile to the General.

"Sir!" he said when the General answered. "We have a huge problem! Natalya brought a ticket out of Norway the moment she arrived and it was to Ottawa! You have to warn your son that she's in Canada and may know where he is. This is too well thought out for it to be a whim."

"This is not good, Sergei," Dmitri replied. "I'll warn him right now. I want you to go to Canada and meet up with Ivan. He works at the Mountain Rescue Station near Banff and, chances are, Natalya will have left Ottawa and she'll be heading his way. Find her and bring her back!"

"Yes, General," Sergei replied and sighed as the General ended the call. Natalya Arlovskaya would be the death of him

* * *

Dmitri took a moment for the news to sink in and then scrolled his contacts for Ivan's number. He had to warn him that Natalya mostly likely knew where he was so he could get his little family away and he dialled the number as he looked out of his window where the beginnings of a storm was beginning to build.

_ _ This number cannot be reached! Please try again later! _ _

No, this was no time for a technological breakdown! He tried again but got the same response. He knew that Ivan would have his phone with him at all times, waiting for this call so what had happened? If it was just a case of Ivan being away from his phone, it would have gone to voice-mail so what was wrong? Was the phone dead? Ivan would not let the battery run down so maybe the phone itself had been damaged! He could only hope that he could get in touch with Ivan soon. If not, he would warned Sergei of this new development. Somehow, he had to warn Ivan!

* * *

Sergei's attempt to get a ticket to Ottawa hit an immediate snag. Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland had decided to have another hissy fit and spewed volcanic ash over Western Europe, grounding all flights in and out of Norway and there was no telling when flights would resume. He could not even get a flight back to Moscow to try and fly to Canada from there. He was effectively stuck!

He had to call the General again to tell him of his predicament and hoped that the volcano would stop erupting and the ash cloud cleared before it was too late.

* * *

Dmitri could not believe their rotten luck. He had seen the Icelandic eruption on the news and had a feeling when his phone rang and he saw it was Sergei. Flights were always grounded when that damn volcano blew and now Sergei was stuck in Norway. He had had no luck with getting hold of Ivan either and, normally, he would have boarded a plane to Canada himself but the storm had built into a full blown blizzard and all flights had been grounded.

"Get the first flight to Canada as soon as the airlines are flying again!" he ordered. "I'll try to get a flight out of Moscow as soon as this storm lifts. Get a plane to Calgary if you can, it's the closest city but if you can't, just take the next available flight!"

"Yes, sir!" Sergei replied and hung up while Dmitri paced his study. Ivan and Yao were at real risk, especially Yao but there was nothing either he or Sergei could do but wait out the volcano and the storm.

* * *

Aleks and Vladimir live a little further away from the Rescue Station than Ivan and Yao so Aleks had further to go to get to work as he kissed Vlad goodbye as he slept and got into his car. He did not mind having longer to go to work, it was a pleasant drive through the woods into Banff and then on to the Rescue Station and usually he had the road to himself at this time but there was a car coming up behind him. While it was unusual for most people to be out at five in the morning, it did not particularly bother Aleks. That was until the car started tail-gating him.

Object in the rear-view mirror  _ may _ appear closer than they are but this car was too close, even for mirror warps or optical illusions and this was further illustrated when the car rammed Aleks's from behind. Aleks was thrown forward and he fought to control the car but just as he managed, he was rammed again. His car fishtailed a little but he pulled it back under control and sped up to escape the other car.

The other car also increased speed and, this time, came up on his left hand side and Aleks caught a glimpse of the driver but there was nothing much to see, other than someone dress in black with a hood obscuring their head and face. The head turned to glance at him and the lower side of their face was hidden by a scarf. Then they side-slammed him and the two cars smashed together and Aleks turned his car to the left to prevent his car from being shoved off the road as the two cars pushed against each other as they drove down the woodland road. Then the other car pulled away and the driver's window came down. The driver reached out of the window and shot out Aleks's front tyre with the gun they had in their hand.

The tyre exploded and shredded and control was impossible after that as Aleks's car spun out of control and off the road. The last thing Aleks saw were the trees coming at him before the impact sent him into darkness.

* * *

Natalya stopped and looked back at her victim's car. She felt a moment of pity for the guy, after all, he had not stolen Ivan from her but she needed either him or the other one out of the picture but the other one live in the town and was not a pilot and the woodland road was a perfect place to ambush this one. She started her car again and drove off, leaving Aleks unconscious in his wrecked car. Someone needed to find the wreckage and report it but in another hour, there would be other cars on this road so someone would report it. It would be a pity if the guy died but, as long as it was not Ivan, Natalya was not worried too much.

* * *

"Aleks is late," Matthew commented. "It's not like him!"

"Da," Ivan agreed. "He takes his job seriously. Maybe he had a flat tyre?"

"Possibly," Matthew hummed. "But he checks his car regularly because he depends on it. Maybe there's a tree down in the road. Anyway, he might not be needed for a while. The blizzard in Russia is heading our way and, when it hits, we won't be able to take the helicopter up anyway."

Ivan nodded.

"Did you get your phone replaced?" Matthew asked.

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "I plan to get a new one on my day off, I must get one soon. I'm expecting a call from my father."

"Is there not a phone you can use in the meantime?"

"Nyet!" Ivan replied. "Yao does not have a phone and Li Xiao's has been stolen so I must get him a new phone too. I have tried to call from land-lines but I cannot get through. The blizzard must have knocked the lines down." Using the land-lines had been a risk but Ivan knew Yao was not sleeping well with worrying so he had tried to contact his father but had been unable to connect. Matthew would have lent him his phone but he had left it at home.

"You haven't had much luck lately, have you, eh," Matthew commented.

"Nyet," Ivan agreed. "I hope it changes soon." The phone began to ring and Matthew got up and answered it.

"Banff Rescue Station!" he greeted. "Vlad! ... Vlad, calm down! Now what were you ... Okay, stay calm, we're coming!" Matthew put down the phone.

"We won't be going up today," he said. "That was Vlad at the hospital. Aleks was in a car accident and he's in a critical condition!"

* * *

Ivan drove them to the hospital after Matthew alerted HQ of what had happened and another nearby team was directed to cover the Banff area until further notice. The moment Vlad saw them come through the door, he immediately rushed over to them and almost threw himself into Matthew's arms, crying.

"I can't lose him, Mattie!" he wept. "I can't live without my soulmate now!" Ivan's heart went out to Vladimir because he knew he would feel the same if it was Yao.

"What happened, Vlad?" Matthew asked.

"Aleks's car was found by someone on their way into town," Vlad replied, wiping his eyes and trying to regain his composure. "He must have been there for an hour! He hasn't regained consciousness yet and he stopped breathing as they brought him in so he's on a ventilator and they think he has internal bleeding!" Matthew continued to hold Vlad in comfort.

"They think a tyre blew out," Vlad said. "But those tyres were changed last month, there's no way any of them should have blown."

"Unless any of them had a fault," Ivan suggested, hoping he was right because if those tyres were in good condition ... Ivan did not want to think of the alternative.

"We'll be here for you and Aleks, Vlad," Matthew promised. "Just let us know what you need."

"But," Vlad protested. "Your jobs ..."

"Until Aleks recovers," Matthew said. "Or HQ find a replacement, we're effectively grounded so, until then, we're at your disposal."

"Da," Ivan replied. "This team is a family and we look after family." Vlad gave him a smile and Ivan smiled back. This was his soulmate's friend and he would look after him as he did Yao and Li Xiao. He only hoped that his friendship was not what had brought all this about.

* * *

"We have a replacement already?" Ivan was surprised when Matthew called the next day to say that he had heard from HQ, saying they had found someone who could replace Aleks while he recovered. If he did! He had not gotten worse but there was no recovery either but it had only been a day so there was still hope.

They were back at the Rescue Station, waiting for their new pilot, not that they would be working for a while soon. The blizzard from Russia was going to hit them soon but it would give them time to get acquainted with their new colleague.

"Apparently, someone with pilot qualifications submitted a resume who is nearby," Matthew replied. "HQ jumped at the chance to get us back into the air as fast as possible so she was immediately given a job."

"She!"

"You don't have a problem with female pilots, do you, Ivan?" Matthew asked. Ivan shook his head. No, gender was not the problem but Ivan had a dreadful suspicion and the doors opened.

" Pryvitańnie ( _ _ Hello _ _ ), gentleman," a familiar voice said. "I'm your new pilot!" Ivan went pale and his heart pounded while he turned to see the last person he wanted to see.

"My name is Natalya Arlovskaya," his sister said and gave a smug smile to her brother.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ivan's worst nightmare come true. Out of curiosity, can anyone pronounce Eyjafjallajökull? Outside of Iceland, of course.


	7. Revealing The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan has some explaining to do.

 

** _**Chapter 7 : Revealing The Truth!** _ **

  
  


Natalya gazed at her brother's pale face, paler than normal and she had surprised him like she had hoped she would and, soon, they would be together like they should be, once she dealt with Yao. Once Ivan was free of him, he would be happy with her even if she had to make him.

Few things could scare Ivan but the things that could all had to do with his little sister. How had she found him? How much did she know and ….. oh, please no! Did she have anything to do with what happened to Aleks? Were his friends in danger? Was Yao and Li Xiao in danger? How could he keep everyone safe? Matthew was suddenly aware of how tense Ivan had become and it seemed to be the new pilot that was making him uncomfortable. Did Ivan know her? An ex-girlfriend, perhaps. That could make things awkward with Yao, if that was the case.

"What are you doing here, Natalya?" Ivan demanded, a dark aura coming off him as he glaring at the woman who was possibly responsible for putting his Bulgarian work colleague in the hospital. "Why aren't you in Moscow?"

"I came looking for you," she replied. "Surely, you knew I would! Why did you suddenly disappear like that, Big Brother?" Matthew was confused now. If this was Ivan's little sister, why did he not seem happy to see her? He had to find a way to ease the tension.

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm pleased to meet you, my name's Matthew!" Natalya turned and pinned the Canadian with a stare. Natalya knew the quiet man was not Ivan's soulmate but he could interfere with her future plans for Ivan as Ivan could turn his affections to this man once Yao was gone and she would not allow that to happen,

"So you work with my brother," she commented with a hint of something disturbing that put Ivan on edge. "Just a work colleague or are you and Ivan …. closer than that?"

"Nyet!" Ivan blurted. "Matvey has a soulmate, they're not in the country right now!" Matthew gave Ivan a look. Why had he said that? Ivan knew Matthew had not found his soulmate so why lie? Ivan did not like the look in Natalya's eye when she stared at Matthew because the last time Ivan had seen that look in Natalya's eye, Saskia had ended up in hospital. Aleks could have been her latest victim and Ivan did not want to any more of his friends in the line of fire. Before Matthew could contradict what Ivan had just told Natalya, Ivan grabbed hold of Natalya's arm and began dragging her toward the staff lounge.

"Pardon us for a moment, Matvey," he said, pulling Natalya behind him into the room and shut the door. Then he almost threw Natalya into a chair.

"I will ask you again, Natalya," he warned. "Why are you here? I don't want you here!"

"Why not, Big Brother?" she asked, looking hurt.

"Because I finally have friends," he replied. "And I do not want them harmed or, worse, killed! I already have one friend in the hospital. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"Why would you think that I would hurt your friends?" Natalya asked, innocently. "Why would I want to hurt the people who care about you?"

"For that reason," Ivan replied. "Or have you forgotten the friends that you admitted hurting back in Moscow! Especially Saskia. Aleks has a soulmate who is worrying about him, worrying that he might not make it. If I find you had anything to do with the accident that put Aleks in ICU, I will not be held responsible for what I do. I'm warning you, Natalya! Stay away from my friends and stay away from my house!"

"You are not going to offer to let me stay with you!" Natalya seemed genuinely shocked.

"Have you gone deaf, Natalya?" Ivan replied, his dark aura reminiscent of their father when he lost his temper and Ivan's trademark smile absent. "I. DO. NOT. WANT. YOU. HERE!" He punctuated each word with a jab of his finger. He was tired of looking over his shoulder, fearing for his little family and he vowed it would end now.

"I left Moscow to get away from you," he said, brutally. "You're obsessive and dangerous! Because of you, I could not even have friends for fear of them being harmed." He took her arm in a hard grip and pulled her up toward him. "Well, I'm done with that! Hope that no more of my friends have any more untoward accidents because, if they do, I will come looking for you, Natalya, and put you where you belong, in a mental institution! Proof or no proof!" He let her go and she fell back into the chair as he turned and left the lounge, slamming the door behind him.

Natalya rubbed her arm where Ivan had gripped it. Big Brother had never been so physical with her before, so harsh! He had changed and it had to be that Yao person who had turned her beloved brother into this twisted parody of himself. Yes, it was Yao's fault and she would have to get rid of him permanently. To save Ivan as well as make him hers!

* * *

Matthew had just put down the phone when he heard the door slam and Ivan come away from the lounge with a dark mood hanging over him like a black cloud. Evidently, Ivan was very unhappy to see his sister and why had he lied about Matthew having a soulmate? Ivan picked up the phone and dialled.

"Li Xiao," he said when he got an answer. "Where's Yao?... I want you to go there and stay with him and wait for me to collect you both and don't let your brother call the Rescue Station...Why? Because Natalya's here!" Matthew was now even more intrigued by all this. What was it about Natalya that had Ivan and his family on edge?

"She gave no indication that she knows about you or Yao," Ivan continued. "But I will take no chances. Stay at the hospital until I come for you, keep Vlad with you too …...She didn't really say. I don't trust her but I have no proof. Just keep everyone together until I come for you. I'll be there as soon as I can." Ivan put the phone down.

"So," Matthew said. "How come you know I have a soulmate and I don't?" Ivan turned to Matthew.

"Not here, Matvey!" he said. "Come with me later and I'll explain. Don't tell Natalya about Yao or Li Xiao or that I even have a soulmate. And don't tell her where I live!" Now Matthew was worried.

"What's going on, Ivan?" he asked. Ivan sighed. He knew he was going to have to give Matthew an explanation so he would get everyone together and tell them all at once. He just hoped that Vladimir would forgive him.

"Yao's at the hospital," Ivan explained. "He's there with Vlad and Li Xiao is going to meet them. As soon as we leave here, I want you to come with me so I can tell you all together."

"That's sooner than you think," Matthew replied. "That storm from Russia is an hour away and all rescue helicopters in the area are grounded until further notice. We're off duty until they contact us by pager when the grounding has been lifted. If we get the helicopter into the hanger and close up, we can leave now."

"Let us get that done then, da?" Ivan replied. "But Matvey, under no circumstances offer Natalya a ride! I do not want her at the hospital where my family and friends are, Believe me, mon drug! I have reasons for asking this." Matthew nodded and they began closing down the station against the storm.

They towed the helicopter into the hanger and locked it up and then they locked up the station. Natalya was hopeful for the offer of a ride but she was disappointed. Not that she could insist, she had her own car. Matthew drove his truck ahead of Ivan's who kept a close eye on the road behind for Natalya's car. He could not see it but, while Natalya was in Banff, indeed in Canada, he could not lower his guard.

* * *

Vlad sat by Aleks's hospital bed, holding his soulmate's hand with Yao sat by his side. Li Xiao stood against a wall, despite there being two more chairs in the room, waiting and looked round when the hospital room door opened and Ivan and Matthew came in. They could see there had been little change in Aleks's condition and what Ivan had to tell Matthew and Vlad, he did not want to do at Aleks's bedside but he had little choice, unless he wanted to tell them out in the corridor where everyone could hear them. Yao turned his sightless eyes toward Ivan as he recognised his footsteps and the smell of his aftershave, mingling with the slight smell of fuel from moving the helicopter. He also knew that Matthew was there too, from the smell of pancakes and maple syrup that he liked so much. He also had a scent of fuel.

"Privet, Vladimir," Ivan greeted. "Privet, Podsolnukh." And he bent to kiss Yao on the forehead.

"Is what Li Xiao told me correct, Ivan?" Yao asked with a little fear. "Has she found us, aru?" Ivan sighed.

"She has found me," he replied. "Beyond that, I don't know! She showed up as Aleks's replacement and I dislike the timing greatly."

"Who's replaced Aleks?" Vlad asked. "What are you all talking about?" Ivan indicated that Matthew sit in one chair while he took the other.

"I have a lot to tell you," he replied. "And I'm sorry, Vlad. What happened to Aleks maybe connected to what I'm about to tell you." Vlad frowned and Ivan took a deep breath.

"My name was originally Ivan Arlovsky," he admitted. "I was born in Alaska so I have dual citizenship with Russia and the US and about four years ago, Yao, Li Xiao and I went to Alaska and I changed my last name to Braginski and then we made our way to Canada and here."

"Why did you need to change your name and leave your home?" Matthew asked, although he had a feeling that Natalya was at the bottom of it.

"My younger sister," Ivan replied, sadly. "She has inappropriate feelings for me, has had them for some time. Every time I made a friend, something would happen to them and soon no one wanted to be my friend except one girl in college who thought I was lonely. Her name was Saskia and she had no romantic interest in me, she just wanted to be my friend. Then one night, I received a call, saying she was in the hospital. She had been studying late and, as she left the campus library, a stone fell on her from the top of the building. It struck her shoulder and broke several bones and, had it hit her a few inches to the left, she would have died. I thought I was just cursed until my sister approached me and, more or less, told me that she had hurt all my friends out of jealously. She thought they all had romantic interests."

"Why the flight from Russia?"

"I knew that if Natalya would do this to my friends," Ivan replied. "She would do worse to my soulmate once I found them so I made plans with my father to leave Russia immediately, once I convinced my soulmate of the danger. When I found Yao and Li Xiao, we went to Alaska and lived there for a few months to change my name and find a piloting job somewhere out of the way but then this job came up in Canada so I applied for a Canadian work visa and came here instead. I never thought she would ever find us. My father has been running interference for us since we left, keeping Natalya from finding our location but, somehow, she discovered where we were. I knew that she had left Russia but every indication was that she believed that I was in Norway."

"What does she have to do with Aleks's accident?" Vlad demanded.

"I can't be sure if she had anything to do with it," Ivan admitted. "She neither confirmed or denied but I suspect that she may be the reason that Aleks crashed, her history would suggest it."

"But why?" Vlad almost wailed. "Did she think that you and Aleks …..."

"Possibly," Ivan replied. "But her getting this position after Aleks's accident, the timing disturbs me! I was waiting for a call from my father but my phone has been damaged, Yao does not possess one and Li Xiao's was stolen. I tried to call from a land-line but I think the recent storm had brought down lines in Moscow because I could not get through." He turned to Vlad.

"I'm sorry!" Ivan apologised. "I only wanted to protect my soulmate but I brought my problems here instead and endangered yours. I hope you can forgive me some day but I know better than to expect that now." Vladimir stayed silent. Yes, he was angry! Angry at Ivan for bring his troubles into their lives, Natalya for causing the troubles in the first place, Yao, Ivan and Li Xiao for not confiding in them. How did it get this far?"

"If she's so crazy," he asked. "Why isn't she in some kind of institution?"

"We can't prove any of it," Ivan replied. "My sister is good at covering her tracks but I promise! If I find proof that she had anything to do with what happened to Aleks, I won't hesitate to deal with her!"

"Does she know about me?" Yao said. "Could she have had anything to do with my near hit-and-run?"

"I don't think so," Ivan told him. "He thought that Matthew and I might have been involved."

"That's why you told her I had a soulmate," Matthew realised. "If she thought that you and I …."

"Harm would have befallen you," Ivan finished. "Natalya has no limit to what she'll do to achieve her aims so I did what I must to protect you. I only wish I had known Natalya was here sooner, to protect Aleks."

"Ivan!" Vlad said. "I realise that everything you did was to protect Yao but until Natalya's been dealt with, I need you and Yao to stay away. I'm sorry but I can't risk that your sister won't try to do something else to Aleks to get at you." Yao looked down at his lap and Ivan smiled, sadly. Thanks to Natalya, he was losing his friends again.

"I understand," he replied. "I'm sorry for bringing this trouble to you."

"I know," Vlad said. "You were protecting your soulmate and I must protect mine."

* * *

The storm would hit soon and Matthew would never get home in time so Ivan offered to put him up for the night, half expecting the Canadian to refuse to be anywhere near Ivan's home but Matthew accepted his invitation and followed Ivan's truck. Yao retired to his and Ivan's room as soon as they arrived and Ivan knew that he was upset. Li Xiao had said nothing, in the hospital or the truck and also went to his room while Ivan and Matthew sat in the living room, Ivan with vodka and Matthew with a beer.

"Don't take what Vlad said to heart," Matthew advised. "He's a little angry but he understands. He just afraid for his soulmate right now and worrying that Aleks might not recover."

"If I could take Aleks's place right now," Ivan replied. "I would! Natalya's my problem, others should not suffer." Matthew looked down at his beer.

"I knew you were hiding something," he admitted. "Aleks knew it too! You should have told us from the start, Ivan …... but Aleks still might have had this accident, if that's what it was! There are no guarantees in life!"

"Unfortunately," Ivan muttered.

"The big question now is," Matthew said. "Is how do we deal with Natalya? If she did have something to do with what happened to Aleks, we're working with a ticking time-bomb!"

"Da," Ivan agreed. "We could tell HQ she's unsuitable but, without proof of wrong-doing, they may not remove her and even if they did..."

"There's nothing to stop her from returning and causing havoc," Matthew reasoned. "And we won't know when or from where she'll strike. So, we do nothing and keep her where we can see her?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Keep our friends close and our enemies closer." He raised his vodka to Matthew who raised his beer.

"Much closer," he replied, telling Ivan that he was with him, come what may. So he had not lost all of his friends!

* * *

The storm that had plagued Russia had moved on to Canada and flights from Moscow were now lifting off the ground but flights to Canada was still grounded as the storm had closed most major airports so General Arlovsky was still stuck in Moscow and Sergei was no closer to getting out of Norway. And Ivan was still incommunicado! Dmitri was worried but until the storm lifted, there was nothing either he or Sergei could do.

* * *

Natalya sat in her hotel room, pondering her next move. Asking Ivan if he and Matthew were an item was a nice touch as Ivan now had no idea she knew about Yao so she had the advantage. She pulled out the drawer of the bedside table and took out Li Xiao's phone. It had been a stroke of luck when she saw Ivan damage his phone and she had never seen Yao with a phone. It meant her father could not get in contact with Ivan and the only other phone was the boy's so she had followed him and, when an opportunity presented itself, took it.

She could do nothing about the land-line but Lady Luck had smiled on her as phone-lines to Moscow failed in the blizzard that was now howling outside her window but she knew that, once the storm blew itself out, her father or his lap-dog, Sergei would be on their way to Canada. As soon as the storm departed, she would have to work fast.

Yao had to die!

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now everyone knows.


	8. A Little Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan gets some assistance.

 

** _**Chapter 8 : A Little Help** _ **

  
  


It was two days before the message came through that the helicopter was cleared to take to the air again and they were back at work but Ivan had Matthew call him to tell him that Natalya had arrived before how would leave. Even knowing where Natalya was, Ivan still wanted Li Xiao to stay with Yao when he was not there and Ivan finally replaced his and Li Xiao's cell phones and the first call Ivan made on his was to his father.

"I've been trying to call you for the past few days," Dmitri said when Ivan finally got in touch with him. "I have to warn you, Ivan. Natalya's in Canada!"

"I'm aware of that, Otets," Ivan replied. "Somehow she managed to get a position on my rescue team when our other pilot had an 'accident'."

"You think she was involved?" Dmitri asked.

"It can't be proved," Ivan replied. "But the timing's too coincidental so I think she had something to do with it. Aleks is in ICU, fighting for his life right now. If I find that she had anything to do with that …..." They had thought about going to the police with their suspicions but, with no direct evidence tying her to Aleks's accident, it was pointless and Vlad decided to wait to until Ivan's father arrived before doing anything, a decision that someone would regret.

"Does she know about Yao?"

"She doesn't seem to," Ivan replied. "She seemed to think that there was something between my other friend, Matvey and myself. I lied and said he had a soulmate and my friends know everything now. Aleks's soul mate doesn't want me or Yao near until Natalya is dealt with." Dmitri could hear the sadness in his son's voice.

"Take heart, moy sin  _ (my son) _ ," he assured. "He said until Natalya is dealt with, da? That means he still wishes to be your friend, he just wants to protect his soulmate which is not an unwise decision. Natalya is dangerous and she will attack your friends again if she believes it will get her what she wants. What of your other friend, Matvey?"

"He is staying by me," Ivan replied. "He wishes to help."

"Good," Dmitri said. He was pleased that his son was not completely on his own. "I'm sending help. It was my intention to come myself but meetings have been called and it would be unwise for me to leave the country, right now. However, I'm sending Katyusha and Eduard to help you and distract Natalya and Eduard managed to find out where Natalya's staying. It's one of the ski hotels near you and he's booked both Katyusha and himself in and Sergei will follow as soon as he can leave Norway. It was hopeful that the ash cloud would have cleared by now but it seems that volcano in Iceland, whatever it's called wasn't finished and there was a second eruption. Once the meetings are over, I'll be out there too."

"Thank you, Otets," Ivan replied. "I appreciate the assistance."

"You are my son," Dmitri said, simply. "Yao is your soulmate so he is my son also, as is Li Xiao and I will protect you all as much as I can. Katyusha and Edward left today so they should be with you soon and I will see you as soon as I can. Until then watch your back around Natalya!"

"I will, Do svidaniya, Otets," Ivan gave his goodbyes.

"Do svidaniya, moy sin," Dmitri replied and ended the call. He was relieved that he would soon have help with Natalya but he would not relax until Natalya was out of their hair for good.

* * *

Although Yao knew he should not, he wished the storm was still blowing because it meant that Natalya could not get near them. Not even she was crazy enough to go out in a blizzard but now it was over, Yao felt less secure although, right now, he knew that Natalya was at the Rescue Station because Matthew had called Ivan to tell him it was safe to leave Yao and Li Xiao at the house. But Yao was not liking the idea of Ivan being in close proximity to his insane sister any better.

He heard Li Xiao's bedroom door open and close and then the bathroom door open and close as the teenager finally got up for the day. Li Xiao would be staying close to Yao and Yao felt guilty about that because this was no way for a teenager to live. He should be hanging out with his friends before going to college but here Li Xiao was, stuck to his older brother's side because Yao's soulmate's sister was incestuous and mad.

The bathroom door opened and closed again and he could hear Li Xiao wandering toward the living room but diverting into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Yao took the well-remembered path from the living room to the kitchen and could hear the cupboards being opened and closed. It kind of made Yao smile that he, without his sight, could put his hands on anything in the kitchen and Li Xiao still had to search for the dishes.

"Second cupboard from the cooker, above your head, aru" he told Li Xiao. He heard the cupboard open and the clink of crockery.

"Thanks," Li Xiao replied.

"Would you like me to make you some breakfast, aru?" Yao offered.

"That's okay," his younger brother replied. "I'm good with the cereal." Yao heard a box being opened and the sound of the cereal being put into the bowl, the fridge being opened and then the splash of milk and the closing of the fridge door as Li Xiao put the milk away then Yao could hear Li Xiao putting things away. Throughout the house, Li Xiao always put things away so his brother did not trip over anything or knock off anything unexpectedly left on counters. Yao knew better than to go into Li Xiao's room, however because that was a minefield for a sighted person, never mind a blind man. Yao heard Li Xiao start munching.

"Are we going to have to run again?" Li Xiao did not want to leave, everything was going good for him here. He had friends, he was going to college, he was settled.

"We'll see," Yao replied. "I don't want to go. We've built a good life for ourselves here, I don't want Natalya to take it away from us but the things she did to Ivan's friends in the past, especially his college friend, Saskia doesn't bear thinking about, aru. If she finds out about me …..."

"We won't let her get close," Li Xiao said. "I still think I should push back college for a year until Psycho Bitch is finally stuffed into a straight-jacket." Yao shook his head.

"You worked hard for the college place," he said. "Besides, I want you away from all this where you can be safe. It's the job of a parent or guardian, aru."

"You're my brother," Li Xiao snorted. "Not my mother! I'm not a kid any more and I don't have to run. I can stand my ground and I can help to protect you." The house phone rang.

"This conversation's not over, aru," Yao warned and made his way back to the living room and picked up the phone.

"Hello, aru?" he said. Li Xiao wandered into the living room as he listened to the one-side conversation, although he knew it was Ivan when Yao said his name,

"Really?" Yao said into the mouthpiece. "When will they get here? Will they be staying with us, aru?" Li Xiao ate another mouthful of cereal as Yao listened to what Ivan was saying.

"That's good," Yao replied to whatever Ivan told him. "More help would be welcome, aru." More muttering from the phone.

"I'll stay with Li Xiao until you get home, I promise," Yao said. "I love you! Goodbye, aru." Yao put the phone back down.

"Maybe I should still go to college," Li Xiao smirked. "You and Ivan need space. What was he saying?"

"His older sister and husband are arriving today," Yao replied. "They're coming to help watch Natalya. They're staying in the same hotel Natalya's staying at so they can keep tabs on her, aru."

"The more help the better," Li Xiao agreed.

"Ivan's father is trying to get here too," Yao continued. "As well as one of his subordinates but General Arlovsky is stuck in Russia and his man can't leave Norway because of the Icelandic eruption. They'll get here as soon as they can, aru."

"It can't be too soon!"

* * *

Natalya was quaking with fury when she was able to leave the Rescue Station to return to her hotel, only to see her half-sister and her soulmate husband checking in. She knew her father well enough to know that he probably sent them to watch her and, with them here, her movements would be restricted. The moment she tried to approach Yao in any way, they would report to Ivan. Even if she tried to get to Li Xiao, they would be on the phone to Ivan.

"Natalya!" Katyusha exclaimed as if all this was a coincidence, although Natalya was not fooled. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Didn't you?" Natalya said, coldly. "I'm surprised Father didn't tell that I had, err, left Moscow. I suppose he didn't tell you that Big Brother's here as well, working for Mountain Rescue?"

"Really!" Katyusha said, brightly. "Ivan's here! I'll have to pay him a visit while Eduard and I are here. I would love to see our big brother again."

"I'm sure you would," Natalya muttered, not buying Katyusha's innocent routine for a moment as they were joined by Eduard who gave a smile to Natalya but had a hint a wariness in his eyes.

"Hello, Natalya," he greeted his sister-in-law. "I never expected to see you here. Katyusha and I decided to take a holiday and I heard about this place and thought it would be nice."

_ _ 'Of course you did! _ _ _ ' _ Natalya thought, sarcastically.  _ ' _ _ _ Our dear father had absolutely nothing to do with it! _ _ _ ' _

"Eduard," Katyusha said. "Natalya said that Ivan's here!"

"Well, we'll have to pay him a visit," Eduard replied, like it was a complete surprise to him. "We better go to our room and get settled. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Natalya."

"I'll see you later, Natalya," Katyusha said as they walked away while Natalya's eyes narrowed at their retreat. Yes, they were definitely here to spy on her for Father and to interfere with her plans to rid Ivan of Yao.

She would have to think of something to get them out of the way.

* * *

As they walked away, Eduard and Katyusha shot a look toward each other. Neither thought Natalya was fooled by their act that being there at the same time as her was a coincidence but now she knew they were here and so she would have to restrict her actions, hopefully enough until the General or Sergei could get here.

* * *

That evening, Yao sat in bed with one of his books while Ivan changed for bed. Ivan watched Yao as he ran his fingers across the Braille but he knew Yao was not reading the book because he had run his fingers across the same row many times. He climbed into the bed beside Yao and pulled the book from his hand, pulling Yao into his chest and hugging him close.

"You are worried, Podsolnukh," he commented as they snuggled down into the bed.

Yao felt the book being taken from his hand but it did not bother him. He had idly been running his fingers across the same line over and over but if anyone asked what that line said, he could not have told them. All he could think of was Natalya and the threat her presence posed to his family. He feared for himself, that was true but he feared for his soul mate and younger brother more. If either of them were harmed …..He nestled in Ivan's chest as they snuggled down into the covers and did not respond to Ivan's comment. Ivan looked down at Yao's head, his hair no longer restrained and falling around his shoulders and it seemed to Ivan like such a intimate thing, although he was sure that Li Xiao had seen his brother's hair down from time to time but, in moments like this, it seemed like something just for Ivan alone.

He kissed the top of Yao's head and held he tighter.

"Tell me!" it was almost an order but Ivan wanted to ease his soulmate's fears.

"Natalya, aru," Yao whispered and Ivan nodded. He had expected this. "Can we be sure she doesn't know about me? If she does, what's to stop her from going after Li Xiao to get to us or even go after you for finding a soulmate in the first place, aru?" Ivan smiled. That was his Yao! He worried about Ivan and Li Xiao when he was the most vulnerable.

"We can't be sure," Ivan admitted. "But if she does, I won't be in physical danger from her. You would be her target and Li Xiao would be a means to strike that target so I worry about the two of you. But Eduard and Katyusha have arrived and are in the same hotel. She can't make a move without them telling me and soon Father and Sergei will be here and they will deal with her. Forget about her now!" Yao sighed.

"I wish I could, aru!"

"I can make you forget for a while," Ivan promised, rolling over and covering Yao's mouth with his own.

* * *

Natalya knew she was being followed every time she left the hotel and she knew it was her sister or brother-in-law. She needed to find a way to distract them soon as, before long, her father or his lapdog would be here to drag her back to Moscow and Yao would make Ivan leave again for parts unknown so this was her only chance to get Ivan but to do that, she had to eliminate Yao and she could not do that if there was someone ready to jump in and spoil her plans.

As she paced her room, trying to think of something, her emergency page went off, alerting her to an emergency about someone stuck up a mountain in a drunken state that required the Rescue Team and she cursed under her breath at the interruption but dared not ignore it or Ivan and Matthew would come looking for her. She grabbed her car keys and left the hotel.

Eduard saw her and followed in his own rented car but was relieved when she went straight to the Rescue Station, Ivan just a few minutes behind. He saw Natalya's car and then spotted Eduard in his car, giving him a wave of acknowledgement and thanks, then Eduard drove away, knowing that Ivan would handle it from here.

* * *

Someone was climbing a cliff-face, not unusual but the emergency pager had said that this person was drunk. ' _Cretin_ ,' Ivan thought but this man could tumble down the mountain in that state so they had to get him down before there was a casualty. He went to get suited up in his rescue gear and found Natalya zipping up her flight jacket.

"Saving idiots who get drunk and climb mountains is a waste of our time and fuel," she muttered. "I say, let the fool fall! It will teach others not to be so moronic!" Ivan scowled at Natalya who’s respect for life seemed to have plummeted further than it already had.

"All life is precious, Natalya," he reprimanded. "Even that of a mountain-climbing drunkard." Natalya snorted and then Matthew scrambled in and pulled his own gear from his locker.

"Who are we saving this time, eh?" he asked and Natalya snorted again.

"Apparently, some idiot got drunk and decided to go climbing," she said, mockingly. "He was already a good way up before his friends could stop him so we have to go rescue the moron." Ivan shook his head in wonder.

"How did he managed to climb intoxicated?" Matthew's face showed that he was wondering the same thing.

"The guy must have more lives than a cat," Natalya replied and looked at Matthew and Ivan. "All right! Let's go save the imbecile!"

* * *

The helicopter sped over the trees and snow toward the mountain that they had been told the drunk man had climbed and was now, according to updates, stuck on a ledge. As Ivan co-piloted the helicopter, he tried to decide which was best. Pilot the helicopter while Natalya winched Matthew down to the stranded climber or operate the winch himself. He decided that he would operate the winch. He did not like the idea of his friend's life in the hands of his crazy sister and Natalya was unlikely to do anything stupid with the helicopter with herself or him on board.

They spotted a figure on the side of the mountain and Matthew began to strap himself into the hoist while Ivan removed his restraining straps and climbed out of the co-pilot seat and strapping himself to the hook above the door. Natalya brought the helicopter up to a height to lower Matthew down without danger of the blades hitting the cliff-face and Ivan had to admit that Natalya was a good pilot. Matthew stepped out the helicopter with Ivan helping him and began to dangle above the rescuee while Ivan operated the winch, lowering Matthew down while he guided the cable out to keep it from moving about in the wind too much.

After a minute or so, Matthew had reached the man and waved his hand and Ivan stopped the winch while Matthew assessed the situation, putting the extra sling that he had taken down, over the other man's shoulders. Matthew gave the hand signal to take them up and Ivan set the winch going again. As Ivan watched them coming up, Matthew and the rescued man were looking into each other's eyes, rather intensely and Ivan wondered what was happening. They were slowly pulled up and, finally they reached the helicopter where Ivan grabbed them and pulled them into the helicopter.

Natalya had no patience with the man who had interrupted her planning with his drunken idiocy and she turned to glare at the man. White hair poked out of the ski hat he was wearing and his pale skin and red eyes denoted him as an albino and he was still clinging to Matthew.

"What did you think you were doing, you imbecile?" she snapped at the man. "We've got better things to do than rescuing idiots who climb mountains drunk!" The man gave her sheepish grin.

"Ja, not my most awesome moment," he replied with a Germanic accent. "But something good did come out of it!" He pulled Matthew close and covered his mouth in a passionate kiss. Ivan looked stunned and Natalya nearly lost control of the helicopter. Not that she cared if Matthew got kissed but the man was supposed to have a soulmate out of the country somewhere. Was Matthew about to cheat on them? So much for soulmates!

"WHAT THE HELL!" she gasped when they finally parted lips. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Matthew went bright red..

"Birdie here and I are soulmates," the albino announced, putting his arm around Matthew. Soulmates! They were soulmates! Could this be the soulmate Ivan said was out of town but then the man had said something good had come out of his excursion up the mountain which meant they had just met. Which meant Ivan had lied when he said Matthew had found his soulmate, although she felt a pang of sympathy for Matthew because his soul mate was clearly a moron.

"Brilliant timing!" she commented. "Rather you than me,  _ Matthew. _ " Then she turned her gaze on to Ivan who looked happy for his friend. He had lied to her! Oh, she knew that Matthew was not and would never be Ivan's soulmate but he had lied to his own sister about Matthew. This was Yao! It had to be Yao! She would confront her brother about his lies and then …..She would confront Yao! And remove him from her brother's life for good!

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will get nasty!


	9. Diversionary Tactics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read some of the other Heartbeat stories, you might recognise a couple of characters.

 

** **Diversionary Tactics** **

 

When they arrived back at the Rescue Station, the albino, who was called Gilbert Beilschmidt, found two of his friends, along with the police, were waiting with a very disgruntled man to talk to him. Apparently, Gilbert had.... _ err _ ....  _ borrowed _ the man's climbing gear and he was very unhappy with the Germanic man. As he was hauled off by the cops, Matthew followed and offered a ride to Gilbert's friends, a blonde, blue-eyed Frenchman called Francis Bonnefoy and a green-eyed, Spanish brunette man named Antonio Carriedo, leaving Ivan and Natalya to deal with the helicopter. As Ivan went to check the helicopter over, his arm was suddenly grabbed by Natalya.

"Why did you lie to me?" she hissed. "You told me that Matthew had already found his soulmate but clearly that wasn't true so why did you lie?" Ivan pulled his arm from her grip.

"You have a short memory, Natalya," he said. "You seemed to have forgotten what you've done to my unmated friends in the past. I was protecting my friend from your obsessive jealousy."

"You seem to care a lot about this man," Natalya replied, eyes narrowing. Now Ivan was unnerved by Natalya's tone. Being someone else's soulmate may not be enough to protect Matvey from Natalya's ill-intentions so he would have to warn his Canadian friend to be on his guard and he grabbed Natalya by her wrists.

"I'm still unconvinced that you had nothing to do with what happened to Aleks," he warned. "If anything happens to Matvey now, you will regret it,  _ Sister! _ " He emphasised Sister just to remind Natalya of their true relationship and put just enough contempt in it to show how much he was regretting being related to her. "I will have no more friends damaged by you!" He shoved her away from him and went back to checking the helicopter. Natalya rubbed her wrists and glared at Ivan as he checked the back rotor. Her brother had indeed changed. The sooner she disposed of Yao and got Ivan back to Moscow, the better!

* * *

As it happened, Ivan did not have to worry about Matthew after all as he requested time off to go and meet Gilbert's brother but he was apologetic to Ivan for leaving in his time of need.

"Don't worry about it," Ivan replied, waving off Matthew's apologies. "This is your soulmate we're talking about. Besides, I'm glad you won't be here for a while, Natalya has made threatening noises toward you so it might be better for you to out of the way for a while. My older sister and brother-in-law are here now so my family still have some protection but I will have to call HQ and tell them we need a temporary replacement but I don't see as being a problem."

"Unless they get on the wrong side of Natalya."

"True," Ivan conceded. "But she has been warned."

"By the way," Matthew said. "Vlad called. There's been improvement with Aleks, he's off the ventilator. He's still unconscious but he's breathing on his own." Ivan breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good news," he replied. "But I'll be happier when he wakes up."

"Me too!"

* * *

The ash cloud was clearing and flight restriction was being lifted so Sergei booked the next flight to Canada which, fortunately was going to Calgary. He informed General Arlovsky that he would be in Canada in a day or so. The General was still stuck in meetings but he would be there a few days after Sergei. Sergei planned to have Natalya caught by then and ready for the General to drag home, leaving Ivan and his soulmate in peace.

At least, that was the plan!

* * *

Natalya sat in the hotel bar, stewing at her inability to move against Yao, what with her two shadows and Ivan sticking close to home since Matthew had left with his soulmate and his replacement had yet to arrive so the helicopter would not be going up. She nursed her drink while trying to find a way to distract everyone so she could slip past their surveillance and finally deal with her rival.

Then Ivan came into the bar and met up with Eduard and Katyusha and she cursed. They would all watch her now and she would not be able to make a move without one of them seeing. True, Ivan did not realise she knew about Yao but he would be suspicious of every move she made and would make sure she made no moves toward his home. She watched them talk but she was too far away to hear what they were saying and she wondered if it was her they were talking about. She was not too far off the mark.

"I got a call from Vlad," Ivan told Eduard after the bartender gave him his glass of vodka. "Aleks has regained consciousness. He is apparently coherent but remembers little about the accident, however the police have been investigating why such relatively new tyres could blow the way they did. It seems they believe that the tyre blew because it was penetrated by something."

"By something?" Katyusha replied. "I'm guessing you don't mean a stone or other road debris."

"The police think it was something of uniform shape," Ivan said. "Circular." Eduard let that sink in.

"Like a bullet?" he guessed. Ivan nodded and took a glance over a Natalya sitting at the bar.

"If Natalya did do this," he replied. "I'm not liking the idea that she has a gun. There is also evidence that Aleks was involved in an altercation with another vehicle. There was paint of another colour in the scratches on Aleks's car and skid-marks further down the road."

"We know that Natalya's capable of hurting others to get what she wants," Eduard mused. "And she wants you, we all know that. So, she did it?"

"There's no proof," Ivan said. "But I suspect she did."

"Why would she, though?" Katyusha asked.

"A place on the rescue team?" Ivan suggested. "Pilots are welcome in Canada and if she put in an application at a time when a space became available and she was nearby..."

"Chances are she would be hired," Eduard replied. "She's a lot smarter than any of us gave her credit for if that's what happened. I hope your father and Sergei get here soon and get her out of our hair because I would hate to see what would happen if she finds out about Yao. How's he doing during all of this?" Ivan sighed.

"He is worried," Ivan replied. "Oddly, he is more worried about myself and Li Xiao than himself. Myself, I do not fear for but Yao and Li Xiao will be in great danger if she should find out. I am wondering if I should sent them to their family back in China until Natalya is dealt with. What do you think?"

"It would be a wise precaution," Eduard said. "But I think you would have a hard time getting Yao to leave without you. Another day or so and Sergei will be here to take Natalya into custody. We just have to make sure Yao stays a secret until then."

* * *

Natalya had seen Ivan look over at her and wished it was in affection or adoration but he looked suspicious of her and she stared angrily into her drink. Could he not see that everything she did was for them? So they could be together, despite the world trying to pull them apart? Ivan smiled at Katyusha with the affection that he never directed at Natalya any more and Natalya burned with jealously.

"Such a beautiful mademoiselle as yourself should not look so dour, chérie," a male French voice purred in her ear. "Such a beautiful face was made laughter and L'amour." Natalya rolled her eyes and turned to see a blonde, blue-eyed man with light facial hair gazing sultrily at her. She recognised him as someone who had been hanging around the hotel with some Spaniard and that German idiot they had rescued off the mountain ledge. She had seen him flirting with anything that had a pulse, although she was not sure that anything without a pulse would be safe either.

"Leave me alone!" she snapped. "I'm not in the mood." This did not deter the flirty Frenchman.

"Ah, I could not leave a damsel-in-distress, mon cher," he replied. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Francis Bonnefoy and you are …..."

"Not interested!" Natalya tried to turn away and ignore him but then her eye fell back on the little family group and an idea occurred to her. It would put the Frenchman in the line of fire but it would teach him a lesson about being such a flirt and she turned back to him with a small smile. "I'm sorry! I'm just mad at my brother-in-law. He's supposed to be my sister's soulmate yet I caught him cheating on her, I didn't know soulmates could do that to each other." She indicated to the group and sighed.

"She looks so happy but it's all fake," she continued. "She knows but pretends it's not happening. Maybe she should have an affair and teach him how it feels." Francis looked over at the group and recognised the young woman with the two men. He was obsessed with two of her biggest.....attributes and had been giving her the eye and lightly flirting with her but she was rebuffing his advances. Perhaps he should push a little harder if her marriage was rocky and cheer her up.

Natalya saw the gleam in the Frenchman's eyes and knew all she had to do now was sit back and watch the fireworks and, when everyone was distracted, slip away.

Yao would be dead by nightfall!

* * *

Katyusha decided to leave the boys to it and sit near to Natalya whom she had seen nearby and pretended she had only just spotted her, sitting next to the French flirt who had been plaguing her for the past few days.

"Hello, Natalya," she greeted, innocently. "Is everything all right this evening?"

"Might be," Natalya replied with an enigmatic smile. The Frenchman looked at Katyusha over Natalya's head.

"Bonjour, chérie," he purred. Great! This was all Katyusha needed and she did her best to ignored the touchy-feely Frenchman but, for some reason, he was persistent.

"Why not sit here, mon cher, next to me," he offered. "I can make your evening very pleasant."

"My evening is pleasant enough, thank you," she replied. "I just want to sit and talk to my sister, if you don't mind."

"Ah, but to spend the evening with two lovely ladies is my idea of heaven. “Why not indulge me? You don't have to pretend any more, Belle Dame ( _ Beautiful Lady _ ), I know and I can make everything better for you."

"...?" The Frenchman left his seat and came in close,  _ too close _ , to Katyusha.

"Maybe give your soulmate a taste of his own medicine, hmm?" The Frenchman took Katyusha's hand in his and Katyusha tried to pull it from his grip.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, adamantly. "And I would like you to leave me alone, I'm a married woman!" The Frenchman simply pulled her resistant hand up to his lips and swept them across her knuckles.

"Married but not happy," he said. "Your sister told me everything. Your soulmate does not deserve you, chérie."

"Told you …. Natalya, what have you been saying?" The Frenchman took the opportunity to put his arm around Katyusha and pull her close as she resisted.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"What are you doing to my wife!"

Everybody looked round to see Eduard standing there with a thunderous expression on his face with Ivan at his shoulder who looked downright disturbing with a dark shadow over his eyes, a dark cloud that seem to spread around him and he was muttering, "Kolkolkol …..!"

Francis recognised Ivan as one of those who had gotten Gilbert off the mountain and decided that discretion was the better part of valour and ran, with Eduard and Ivan in pursuit. Katyusha stared after them and Natalya took her opportunity to leave while everyone was distracted and slipped out of the door with a smile.

* * *

Ivan was as enraged as Eduard when he found that blonde friend of the drunken German man pushing himself on to Katyusha and all was forgotten as they began chasing him through the hotel. They even chased him through the basement where Ivan ripped a pipe with a tap off the wall (thank goodness the water had been switched off down there) as they chased him back out through reception and they cannoned out of the doors to find they had lost him. There were two red-headed men, one of whom had fallen and the other was picking him up but no sign of the blonde Frenchman.

"Where did he go?" Eduard demanded, looking around. "I'll teach him to mess with my wife!" Ivan agreed with the sentiment, whole-heartedly.

"And my sister!" he said, brandishing the pipe and ran in a direction he thought the man might have gone, not realising that he and Eduard were doing just what Natalya had wanted them to.

* * *

Li Xiao made Yao his favourite herbal tea and put some snacks on a plate for him while Yao read the book that he got for his last birthday. A book of Chinese legends in Braille that Ivan had found on-line and Yao loved the thought Ivan had put into the gift but then that was Ivan. Yao might never know what Ivan looked like or ever feel his heart beat but he considered himself to be lucky in his soulmate.

"Here's your tea," he heard Li Xiao say. "And some nibbles for you."

"Xièxiè  _ ( T _ _ hank you _ ), Li Xiao," Yao replied, putting down the book and holding out his hands. Li Xiao put the tea and the plate in Yao's hands, making sure he had a firm hold of them before letting go. Yao put the snacks on the small table he knew was by his chair and then he heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Li Xiao said and Yao heard him walk out of the room while he sipped the tea and listened to the footsteps come back into the room but he knew something was not right. He knew the footsteps of Li Xiao and Ivan, even knew the footsteps of Matthew, Aleks and Vladimir and these footsteps matched none of them. The female voice he then heard, he had never heard before but he knew it's owner from the words, dripping with hatred in an accent, similar to Ivan's.

"So you're the blind man who thinks he can take my brother from me!" Natalya was here and she knew! But Li Xiao had answered the door.

Where was Li Xiao?

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff-hangers are evil!


	10. Natalya Goes Too Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thing go from bad to worse

 

** _**Natalya Goes Too far!** _ **

Li Xiao opened the door and caught a glimpse of a woman with long silvery-blonde hair and violet eyes, just before her arm swung round and Li Xiao felt something hard connected with his temple, a pain radiate through his head and then blissful oblivion. Natalya spared a look at the boy she had just pistol-whipped, sprawled out on the floor, feeling a second of remorse but she needed him out of the way while she dealt with his brother. She made her way to the living room where her rival sat, sipping tea. His head turned her way as he heard her footsteps and stared through her with his sightless eyes.

"So you're the blind man who thinks he can take my brother from me!" she sneered. The Chinese man's face frozen at the sound of her voice and she smiled. He knew who she was so he would know where vengeance was coming from.

"Where's Li Xiao?" Yao demanded.

"You should worry about yourself," Natalya mocked. "Did you think I would let you take my brother without a fight? He's mine! He always has been and you should have stayed away from him. Instead, you took him from me and twisted his behaviour so he turns from me now and pushes me away, wanting me gone from his life and it's your doing. You turned him against me and there's only one way to get him back and that's with you gone." Natalya raised the gun and Yao heard a click, a sound that he had only ever heard on TV before and knew that she had pulled back the hammer of a hand gun. Yao knew he did not stand a chance and he prayed that Li Xiao was alright and neither he or Ivan were the ones to find his body.

_ Bang! _

* * *

As Eduard and Ivan ran after the groping Frenchman, Katyusha had looked round in panic, desperate for someone to help and spotted Natalya disappearing out of the door. After Bonnefoy saying that  _ her sister had told him everything _ she realised that Natalya must have planned this so she could get away without being seen so Katyusha decided to follow her sister, grabbing her purse on the way out. When Katyusha got outside, Natalya was already in her car, ready to pull away and Katyusha ran for the car she and Eduard had hired, taking the car keys from her purse. Natalya was driving out of the car park and Katyusha started her car and set off, hoping to keep her in sight.

Katyusha had not been to Ivan's home as yet and she had intended to but she knew the address was close to the Rescue station and, as she followed Natalya into the town, Katyusha had an awful feeling she knew where Natalya was going as they were heading in that direction. Which meant that she knew! She knew about Yao! Then Katyusha became stuck at traffic lights as Natalya pulled away from her, out of sight and she reached for her phone, dialling Ivan's number. Using her phone while driving was not something Katyusha would normally do but this was a emergency.

"Katyusha, where are you?" Ivan replied. "We're still trying to find that pervert but you disappeared."

"Ivan, forget the Frenchman!" Katyusha told him. "It was a set up by Natalya to distract you so she could get away without being seen, I'm following her now. She's on her way to your house, Ivan. I think she knows about Yao."

"I'm on my way," Ivan said, simply and hung up. Katyusha put her phone away and the lights went to go and she headed in the direction of Ivan's home as quickly as she could.

* * *

Ivan grabbed Eduard and pulled him in a different direction to where they were going, toward the car park and Ivan's car.

"What are you doing, Ivan?" Eduard asked. "He'll get away!"

"He was a decoy," Ivan replied, unlocking his car. "So Natalya could get away from us. Katyusha's following her and she thinks she's on her way to my house." Eduard climbed into the passenger seat.

"But that means she knows about Yao!" he exclaimed. A dark aura fell over Ivan's eyes as he thought about what Natalya would do to Yao if she got to him.

"Da," he said, simply. Now he was convinced that the hit-and-run attempt and Aleks's accident were all Natalya. That meant Natalya  _ _ did _ _ have a gun.

* * *

When Katyusha got there, Natalya's car was outside and the front door was open with Li Xiao lying unconscious in the hallway. Katyusha checked him and was relieved to find the boy was still alive and then she heard voices from the living room.

"...turns from me now and pushes me away," she heard Natalya say. "Wanting me gone from his life and it's your doing. You turned him against me and there's only one way to get him back and that's with you gone." As she peered into the living room, she saw Natalya, cocking her gun and aiming it at the Chinese man sat in a chair and she ran forward.

* * *

Yao dropped his tea as the gun went off, expecting to feel the pain of the bullet entering his body but, instead felt the wind of it, whizzing past his ear and then he could hear the sound of a struggle.

"NATALYA, STOP!" Katyusha screamed as she and her sister struggled with the gun. She had managed to spoil Natalya's aim enough so the bullet just missed Yao and now Katyusha was trying to pry the gun from Natalya's grip so she could not try again. Yao heard the unfamiliar voice and was relieved that there was someone trying to stop Natalya but he did not know what to do to help. He did not dare move, in case he collided with the combatants and hindered his rescuer and he still did not know where Li Xiao was. Natalya and Katyusha continued to fight for possession of the gun and Katyusha had never seen her sister so murderous, that she really intended to kill Yao if she got the gun so she had to keep it out of Natalya's hands at all costs.

"Give it up, Natalya," she gasped as she tried to twist the weapon from Natalya's grip. "Ivan's on his way and he'll never forgive you if you harm Yao."

"Ivan will come to his senses when that  _ thing _ is dead!" Natalya replied with an insane hiss. "He has Ivan under some kind of spell and I will free him from it. And then we'll finally be one!" Katyusha realised that her sister had finally lost any concept of sanity and renewed her efforts to get the gun away from her. Out in the hallway, Li Xiao began to regain consciousness, wincing against the pain in his head and he made the mistake of touching it, making the pain worse. Then the sounds of the struggles reached his ears and he struggled to his feet.

Katyusha and Natalya crashed into furniture in their struggle for possession of the weapon and Natalya got a firm hold on the gun and tighten her grip. With one finger on the trigger.

_ Bang! _

Li Xiao reached the living room just in time to see Katyusha stagger backwards, the white top she was wearing turning crimson from the bullet wound in her left shoulder. She hit the wall and slid down it, leaving a blood stain, pain radiating from the bullet wound and she looked up at Natalya who looked shocked at what she had done. Then Natalya turned hated-filled eyes on Yao.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" she screamed and turned the gun back toward the helpless Yao and Katyusha was powerless to stop her but then, suddenly, the boy from the hallway dove at Natalya taking her to the floor. He grabbed the hand holding the gun and began slamming it against the floor. After the fourth slam, Natalya lost her grip on the gun and it fell from her grasp. Li Xiao kicked the gun away as Natalya began to struggle to get Li Xiao off her. With one last burst of energy, she managed to throw Li Xiao to one side, scrambling to her feet and running for the door. She would have to get out of here now. Ivan would be coming and, while he was under Yao's spell, his wrath would be great.

Li Xiao touched the side of his head again, once again regretting it and scrambled over to Katyusha, pulling out his handkerchief and making it into a pad to put it over the bullet wound to stem the flow of blood.

"Yao," he called over to his brother. "Are you okay?" Yao have never been so relieved to hear his younger brother's voice and he held out his hand to him. Li Xiao took it and pulled Yao toward him. He guided his brother's hand to the pad over Katyusha's injury and put it over the cloth, grabbing a small throw from the back of the sofa to press against the exit wound in the back and put his brother's other hand on that.

"Hold those there while I call an ambulance," he said. "She been shot." Yao did not need telling that as he could feel wet stickiness cover his fingers as blood leaked through the handkerchief.

"Who is she, aru?" Yao asked as Li Xiao typed 911 into his phone. He had heard her voice and could smell a subtle perfume, none of which he recognised.

"Don't know," Li Xiao replied. "But she was helping so I think it might be Ivan's other sister ….. Hello! We need an ambulance and the police …..." Li Xiao became occupied with giving details to the operator while Yao comforted the injured woman in his arms.

"Help is on its way," he said as Katyusha groaned with pain. "Are you Ivan's sister, Katyusha, aru?"

" Tak , ( _ _ Yes _ _ )," she gasped. "Ivan is coming, I called him on the way here when I realised that this was where Natalya was heading. She must have known about you all along!"

 

"Don't try to talk, Mèimei ( _ Sister _ )," Yao replied when she gasped in pain. "The ambulance will be here soon, aru." He looked toward the sounds of footsteps in the hallway and Ivan and Eduard came into the living room.

"KATYUSHA!" Eduard gasped, his heart stalling when his saw his wife, clutched in Yao's arms as he held blood-covered cloths to the front and back of her shoulder. He took one of her hands and squeezed it tight while Ivan went to the other side of Katyusha and put his arm around both her and Yao.

"What happened?" he asked Yao, gently.

"Li Xiao went to answer the door," Yao explained while Ivan turned to look at Li Xiao who was still on his phone and looking out of the window. "I heard footsteps but I knew it wasn't Li Xiao coming back and then Natalya was there, accusing me of stealing you and turning you against her. There was a gun shot and I could hear two people struggling and there was another gunshot and Natalya saying it was my fault. Then there was more struggling, aru."

"That was me," Li Xiao said from the window. "Natalya knocked me out at the door and I came round as Katyusha was shot and I disarmed Natalya but she got away. I'm sorry." He looked out of the window again. "The ambulance and the police are here."

Armed police came in first, making sure the area was secure and then the paramedics were allowed in to help Katyusha. Despite Yao's insistence that he had not been hurt, he, Katyusha and Li Xiao were taken to hospital to be check over or, in Katyusha's case, surgery while Eduard followed in a taxi, leaving Ivan to give a long explanation to the police.

* * *

Sergei had finally made it to Canada, getting off the plane at Calgary and hiring a rental vehicle to drive to Banff. He called General Arlovsky to tell him he had arrived and Dmitri told him to call when he was in contact with Ivan to let him know what was going on.

Sergei began the one and a half hour journey to Banff.

* * *

Ivan could not be angry at Li Xiao for getting the police involved in their situation because, if Li Xiao had not called them, the hospital would have but it left him with a lot of explaining to do.

"So you came here to escape your younger sister who has an inappropriate obsession with you," the officer summed up. "And she followed you and managed to get herself hired on the same rescue team as yourself and you believe that she might have been the one who drove Aleksander Dragov off the road."

"Da," Ivan replied. He hated to wash his family's dirty linen in public but he had no choice now, Katyusha's shooting had forced everything out into the open. "She may have been the one behind the hit-and-run attempt on my soulmate, Wang Yao ."

"You said nothing at the time!"

"At the time, it was believed that my sister was in Norway," Ivan replied. "So I did not think that she could have had anything to do with it. Now it may be that she left Norway sooner than we thought and she has harmed friends of mine before and almost killed one."

"Why didn't you have her arrested in Moscow then?" the officer asked.

"No proof," Ivan replied. "And she is my sister. My father tried to keep her under control but she just got worse. I knew that when I found my soulmate, I would have to hide them so when I found Yao, we went to Alaska where I was born and there I had my name legally changed from Arlovsky to Braginski then applied for a Canadian work visa when I got the job on the rescue team. I never thought that Natalya would find us."

"So she's still a threat to Wang Yao?" Ivan sighed.

"Da," he replied. "But now I know that Natalya knows about him, I plan to send Yao and Li Xiao to China until Natalya has been caught and put where she can't harm us again.

"In the meantime," the officer replied. "I'll tell my colleague at the hospital now to stay close to your fiancé and his brother."

"That would be most appreciated," Ivan replied.

* * *

Yao and Li Xiao had been examined and released by the hospital and they waited with Eduard while Katyusha was still in surgery. They were soon joined by a police officer who told them he would stay with them until Natalya Arlovskaya was apprehended.

"This was not how I want to meet you or Katyusha," Yao told Eduard. "I'm sorry! She was hurt helping me, aru." Eduard was glad the Chinese man could not see the worry on his face.

"You're not the insane one," he replied. "You're not to blame for this, this is all Natalya, not you!"

"If I had not met Ivan …."

"You're his soul mate," Eduard stated. "You were destined to meet him. It's not your fault that Natalya couldn't except that."

"Eduard's right, Yao," Li Xiao agreed. "This is Psycho Bitch's fault, not yours. The sooner she's caught and stuffed into a padded cell, the better!"

"As much as I hate to agree," Ivan replied as he came through the door. "Li Xiao is right. Natalya might be my sister but she has gone too far now."

"I'm not sure she meant to shoot Katyusha," Li Xiao admitted. "She look shocked that she'd done it. It may have been an accident."

"Does not matter," Ivan said. "Her obsession has grown to the point that she endangers all around her, even family. She must be stopped for everyone's safety and I have to see to yours and Yao's. I've booked short flights to Calgary for both of you and from there, you'll be flying back to your family in China. You leave tomorrow."

"You want us to leave, aru!" Yao exclaimed in shock.

"Just until Natalya is neutralised as a threat," Ivan replied, sitting beside Yao and wrapping his arms around him. "I want the two of you safe, especially you, Podsolnukh. As soon as Natalya as been caught, I'll come for you both, I promise!"

"I don't want to go, aru," Yao said. Ivan kissed his forehead.

"I don't want you to go either," he replied. "But I preferred you gone to dead. Please indulge me, Yao. I could not stand it if anything were to happen to you!"

"As soon as Katyusha is well enough to travel," Eduard said. "I'll be taking her home. I don't want her in the line of fire any more." Ivan nodded. If he and Yao were in the same position as Eduard and Katyusha, he would do the same.

"I understand," he replied. The door opened and a doctor came in.

"Are you Katyusha Von Bock's family?" he asked. Eduard stepped forward.

"I'm her husband," he said. "This is her brother and his family."

"The surgery went well," the doctor reassured them. "Fortunately, the bullet didn't hit anything vital and, barring any complications, she should make a full recovery although she won't be able to use her arm for a while, of course."

"Can we see her?" Eduard asked.

"For a moment," the doctor replied. "She's not conscious yet and she'll be a little drowsy when she comes to so try not to disturb her too much, she needs her rest." The doctor took them to the recovery room but on their way there, they ran into Vlad. Vlad was visiting Aleks when he came face to face with Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao with another man he was not familiar with and he was a little embarrassed at abandoning a friend in time of need so he was a little sheepish now.

"Hello, Vlad," Ivan greeted and Yao looked toward the sound of Ivan's voice.

"Vlad?"

"Hello, Ivan," Vlad replied. "Yao. What brings you here?"

"My sister, Katyusha is here," Ivan replied. "She just came out of surgery."

"I'm sorry," Vlad gave his condolences. "Listen, can I talk to you and Yao? It won't take a moment." Ivan looked at Eduard.

"We'll follow in a moment," he told him. Eduard nodded and followed the doctor.

"How is Aleks?" Yao asked Vlad. "We heard he had woken up, aru."

"He's improving," Vlad replied. "Still can't remember much about the accident but the doctors are allowing him out of bed now."

"I am pleased to hear that," Ivan said.

"I wanted to say sorry," Vlad told them. "After what happened to Aleks, I shut you out and that wasn't fair. Natalya made your lives hell and I added to it but I was afraid for Aleks and ….." Ivan stopped him there.

"You made the right decision," he said. "Katyusha needed surgery because Natalya shot her when she stopped her from shooting Yao. I do not blame you for protecting your soulmate and yourself but Natalya has gone too far now. The police are looking for her so she should be found soon and put where she can hurt no one else. May we visit Aleks after we've seen Katyusha?"

"Aleks would love to see you," Vlad agreed. "He's been asking about you, I'll telling you'll be coming by."

" _ Thank you _ ," Ivan said.

* * *

Sergei drove into Banff and looked for a hotel because he had the feeling that he would be there for a while and found one close to Ivan's address. As he put his over-night bag on the bed in his room, he switched on the TV, finding the news channel and began to unpack.

" _ ...to be on the lookout for this woman, _ " the anchor-woman announced and Sergei looked at the TV to see a picture of Natalya, taken from CCTV from the hotel.  _ "She is wanted in connection with an attempted hit and run and attempted murder. The police advise that you do not approach her and call them as she is considered to be extremely dangerous. _ "

Sergei had a feeling things had escalated while he had been trying to get to Canada and General Arlovsky was not going to be happy that Natalya's little obsession had gone public in such a extreme way. Attempted murder! Just what had been happening here? He needed to find Ivan.

* * *

Natalya was keeping out of sight. She had already seen the report and knew that everyone would be looking for her so she had to find a way to make herself unfindable. And she had an idea but it meant giving up something.

She found an out-of-the-way motel that seemed to lack television and stood in front of a mirror in one of the rooms with a pair of scissors. She took a lock of her hair and began cutting. She entered the motel room as Natalya and, after an hour of hair cutting, breast binding and donning stolen male clothes, she left the room as Nikolai, a young man from Moscow.

She came back into town with no one giving her a second look and she went to Ivan's home. The police had departed and there was no one home so she broke in and began looking around. She scowled at the bedroom that was clearly occupied by both Ivan and Yao. Li Xiao's room was a typical untidy teenager's room that Natalya had no interest in and she went to the living room. She gave the wall, which still sported the blood stain from where Katyusha had slid down, a guilty look. She had not meant to shoot Katyusha, had been horrified when it happened and she blamed Yao. It all went back to Yao!

She spotted Ivan's laptop on a nearby table and opened it up. It was protected by a password but she knew the workings of her brother's mind and, after a few attempts, she typed in _Podsolnukh_ and she was allowed access. When she went through his files, she came across one for a short flight booking to Calgary with Yao and Li Xiao listed on the tickets. So Ivan was sending them away from Banff. Natalya made a note of the airstrip the flight was taking off from and smiled. She would rid Ivan of Yao and this time, no one could stop her!

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will not end well!


	11. Sabotage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalya strikes!

 

**_**Chapter 11 : Sabotage!** _ **

  


Katyusha was still a little drowsy when she woke, like the doctor said she would be but she was cognizant enough to ask about Yao and Li Xiao.

"They're both fine," Ivan reassured her. "Thanks to you, Katyusha, Yao was unharmed and Li Xiao just got a bump on the head which the doctors have treated. We're more worried about you!"

"I don't think she meant to shoot me," Katyusha tiredly said. "I think the gun went off by accident." Ivan shook his head.

"She still brought a gun into my house with the intention of causing harm," he replied. "And I believe she _did_ use that gun to shoot out Aleks's tyre and forced him off the road. She could have killed him _and_ you and she did intend to kill Yao. We can't make excuses for her, Katyusha. She's dangerous and must be stopped."

 

"I have to agree, Kullake, ( _Sweetheart_ )" Eduard concurred, holding Katyusha's hand. "Natalya's crossed the line now."

"She crossed the line when she almost killed Saskia," Ivan pointed out. "Had I known at the time and could prove it, she could have been stopped in Moscow. We must face it, Katyusha! Natalya must be put away for everyone's safety." Katyusha sighed.

"I'm too tired to think," she said in an exhausted tone.

"Then rest," Yao advised. "One of us will be here when you wake up, aru." Katyusha gave a grateful smile and drifted back off to sleep. Yao, Ivan and Eduard sat in silence for a moment.

"So what now?" Eduard asked.

"The police are looking for Natalya," Ivan replied. "My father and his subordinate should arrive soon so we'll find her eventually but, until we do, Yao and Li Xiao are leaving for China." Ivan put his hand on Yao's shoulder. "We promised to visit Aleks before so we better do that before you need to return home and pack."

"I can go home now and start while you visit Aleks," Li Xiao said but Ivan was not having that.

"No!" he replied, adamantly. "While Natalya's loose, we stay together until I put you both on that plane. No arguments!" Ivan turned back to Eduard.

"We'll come back after we see Aleks for a few more moments and then we must return home," he told him. "We have much to do before tomorrow." Eduard nodded and thanked them as Ivan took Yao's arm and lead him out the door, followed by Li Xiao. Aleks had been moved from ICU to a hospital room where he was monitored constantly, in case he developed complications but so far things were going well apart from the slight gap in his memory but Ivan did not need Aleks to remember to know what happened. He almost lost another friend to Natalya's deranged ambition and he swore it would be the last time. When they went into the room, Aleks was reclined in bed with Vlad sat beside him, holding his hand and they both looked up as Ivan lead Yao in and guided him to a seat while Li Xiao came in and found himself a spot against the wall.

"Ivan!" Aleks greeted with a smile. "Yao! Li Xiao! You finally came to see me! What took you so long?" Ivan looked at Vlad who gave the slightest on nods. So Vlad had not told Aleks why they stayed away!

"We are sorry," Ivan apologised. "We thought that, under the circumstances, that it was best if we kept our distance. Have you been told about my sister, Natalya?" Aleks nodded.

"Vlad filled me in." he replied. "Is she really that disturbed?" Ivan sighed, sadly.

"Enough that we decided that it was best for us to stay away for your safety," he said. "She's more dangerous than ever now. Natalya tried to shoot Yao and shot my older sister instead, she not long came out of surgery."

"Is she all right?" Aleks asked with concern.

"The doctor said she'll recover," Yao replied. "Once she leaves the hospital, her husband is taking her home, aru."

"And I'm sending Yao and Li Xiao to Calgary and on to China," Ivan said. "I can't risk their safety while Natalya's loose. Matvey is already out of the country, visiting his soul mate's family. Did you know that Matvey found his soul mate?"

"Yes," Vlad replied. "Matvey told me when I called him to tell Aleks had woken up. He also told me how he met him." Both he and Aleks gave a chuckle. Clearly Vlad had shared the story with Aleks. "I can't decided to be pleased or sorry for Matthew." Ivan gave a little chuckle himself.

"Matvey seemed happy," he replied. "Gilbert must improve on further acquaintance."

"Do HQ know about Natalya?" Aleks asked. "Without a second pilot, the helicopter will be grounded." Ivan nodded.

"I called HQ after the police left and before I came here," he replied. "Matvey's temporary replacement is already on-route and they're trying to find us a replacement pilot. In the meantime, two nearby Rescue Stations will be covering our area." Ivan was interrupted by his mobile phone ringing. It was an unfamiliar number but, with things the way they were, Ivan did not dare ignore it.

"I'll be right back," he said and left the room, looking for the nearest exit. The phone had stopped ringing by the time he found one and he found the missed call and returned it.

"Ivan Braginski?" said a voice with a similar accent to his.

"Da," Ivan replied.

"My name is Sergei Mikhaylov," the man on the other end of the phone said. "I've been sent by General Arlovsky to assist you with your younger sister but I've seen on the TV that the problem has escalated."

"Da," Ivan told him. "Natalya tried to kill my soulmate and shot my older sister. Now Natalya's on the run. I would like your assistance in protecting my soulmate and my younger brother until tomorrow. I'm putting them on a plane to Calgary and, from there they'll be travelling to China. Once Natalya is dealt with once and for all, I will retrieve them. Is that plan agreeable to you?"

"Da," Sergei replied.

"We will be returning home soon to pack so I will meet you there," Ivan said. "Do you have my address?"

"Da," the sound of paper rustling could be heard over the phone. "The General gave it to me so I'll meet you there. Your father should be able to come in a couple of days so, hopefully, we'll have caught Natalya by then.

 

"I hope so too," Ivan replied. "I will see you later."

 

"Da svidaniya," Sergei replied and ended the call. Ivan put his phone back into his pocket and went back into the hospital.

* * *

Natalya looked over the airport that Yao and Li Xiao would be leaving from the next day. A airport that light aircraft and small passenger planes landed and departed from. It should not be too much trouble to get in without being seen and, if disguised as an employee, she could wait for an opportunity. And strike!

* * *

Ivan collected Yao and Li Xiao from Aleks's room, saying goodbye then revisited Katyusha and Eduard to take their leave of them. The hospital would release Katyusha in a couple of days and Eduard was already making plans for them to go home. When Ivan and the others arrived home, there was a black-haired, purple-eyed man standing outside and Ivan immediately knew that this was his father's subordinate as he helped Yao out of the car.

"Sergei Mikhaylov?" he asked and the black-haired man nodded, holding out his hand for Ivan to shake.

"Da," Sergei replied. "My apologies for not being here sooner. I would have been, had it not been for Eyjaf... Eyjafja... that volcano in Iceland. I have made enquiries but there has been no sign of Natalya since the attack on your soulmate so maybe she's left the area to avoid being captured."

"That would be nice," Ivan sighed. "But I don't think so. Natalya's obsession overrules her logic so, while running and hiding might be the wise choice, I doubt that's what she'll do! She's chased me almost halfway around the world, she won't give up now." Sergei sighed himself as he suspected that Ivan was right.

"Let us have this conversation inside, aru," Yao suggested, not wanting to stay out in the open much longer. He tried to keep it from Ivan but Natalya being out there, free and able to hit them when they least expected it terrified him. Those moments when Natalya attacked and he did not know what had happened to Li Xiao were the worst moments of his life and he did not want a repeat.

"Da," Ivan agreed and the group went into the house.

"I should introduce you," Ivan said when they were safe indoors. "This is my soul mate, Wang Yao and his younger brother, Li Xiao. Yao, Li Xiao, this is Sergei Mikhaylov. My father sent him to assist us."

"You going to find Psycho Bitch and stick her a mental ward?" Li Xiao asked. Psycho Bitch! Sergei liked that.

"That will probably be her destination when we find her," he confirmed. "We can't allowed her to wander about harming people. She needs professional help."

"Just so long as she stays away from me," Li Xiao muttered. "I'm going to pack." And he went to the obstacle course he called his room.

"I better pack too," Yao said and walked out of the room.

"Can he pack when he's blind?" Sergei asked, wondering how.

"Oh da!" Ivan replied. "He can tell by touch what is silk or cotton or other types of material and he knows which clothes are made of what and when Li Xiao is done, he will help Yao to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything. He is quite capable, you know." Sergei was impressed.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Sergei asked.

"We stay close to them both until they're in the air," Ivan replied. "Li Xiao has the arrangements for the flight to China. Once they're safely away, we go hunting for Natalya!"

* * *

Sergei was invited to dinner and to stay the night in the guest room which Ivan encouraged him to do so he could be on hand to guard Yao and Li Xiao. Sergei was further impressed by Yao when he realised that Yao had made dinner and vowed not to underestimate the Chinese man, blindness or no blindness!

Sergei called General Arlovsky to report Natalya's latest transgression and the fact that she was now on the run from the Canadian police. Dmitri was furious at his youngest child and concerned about his stepdaughter but Sergei reassured him that Katyusha's injuries were not life-threatening and Dmitri just called that luck as Natalya could have hit Katyusha's heart and she intended to kill someone. He had one last meeting and he would be on the next plane to Calgary.

Yao and Li Xiao retired to bed while Sergei and Ivan discussed the next day. There would always be one of them with Yao and Li Xiao at all times until they were on the plane and they would stand guard until the plane took off, to make sure no one tried to stowaway on it. Only when the plane was off the ground would Ivan relax somewhat. Tactics discussed, Ivan and Sergei retired to bed, ready for the next day.

* * *

Natalya was up at dawn and out at the airstrip, waiting for people to turn up for work. Still dressed as a male, she waited until there were enough people for her to blend in, once she stole an airport jumpsuit. She still keep out of sight as much as possible and kept at a distance when she could not and waited for her target to arrive.

When it arrived, it was a small passenger jet plane that Ivan hoped would take Yao beyond her reach. A vain hope as she would never leave her brother in that _heart thief's_ clutches and she would do anything to free him. Anything!

The jet landed and taxied around and, after allowing its passengers to disembark, the pilots and cabin steward went for a rest before the return flight to Calgary while the plane was refuelled. Natalya could not make her move yet. Yao and Ivan were not here yet and she had to wait until the plane had been given the once over.

* * *

Everyone had woken up early and had breakfast, then there was the usual mad panic to make sure the passports were in the carry-on and that they had everything before they all piled into the car and began their journey to the airport with Ivan driving, Sergei in the passenger seat and Yao and Li Xiao in the back. They pulled into the airport car park and Sergei stood guard as Ivan took Yao and Li Xiao's luggage from the trunk and then he helped Yao out of the car. Li Xiao got out and picked up his own suitcase and they went into the airport building with Ivan leading Yao and Sergei flanking Li Xiao. They sat with the other passengers waiting for the go-head to board the plane.

"I wish I didn't have to go," Yao said.

"Yeah," Li Xiao agreed. "This sucks!" Ivan hugged Yao.

"It won't be for long, Podsolnuhk," Ivan promised. "Then I promised we'll never be separated again." And he lightly pecked Yao on the lips.

"Yuck!" Li Xiao retorted. "Do you have to do that? I still have to get on the plane and flying makes me queasy."

"Less lip, Mladshiy Brat," Ivan warned. "How long before they allow boarding?"

* * *

Natalya watched as the pilots went around the plane, checking things out and making sure everything was as it should be and went to get the fuel and weight figures to check. With the plane left alone, Natalya took her opportunity, opened the hatch to the engine and began to loosen a certain connection.

She closed the hatch again and left, secure in the knowledge that, soon, Yao would be out of their lives for good. She went on to the plane to deal with one last detail and then she made herself scarce. She would just hang around long enough to make sure Yao got on that plane.

* * *

"Will passengers for flight 236 to Calgary please make your way to the Departure Gate," came the announcement over the PA and people began standing up and collecting their belongings. Ivan picked up Yao's bag and took Yao's arm to lead him out to the plane, Li Xiao followed and Sergei brought up the rear. Together they went through departure desk and went out to the plane.

"I'll be coming for you before you know it, Podsolnuhk," Ivan said, kissing his cheek. "Then we'll be together forever." Yao put his arms around Ivan and hugged him tight.

"Don't take too long!" he said and Ivan gave him a firm kiss on the lips.

"Let's go," Li Xiao muttered. "Because if you two keep at it, this plane will never get off the ground." He took Yao's arm and lead him up the stairs to the plane.

"I'll be with you soon, Yao," Ivan called. Yao turned back toward the sound of his voice.

"Promise?" Yao's voice wavered.

"Always, Podsolnuhk," he replied. Yao gave a smile before he was pulled into the plane and out of sight. Ivan and Sergei moved back to the airport building and the plane prepared for take off. It moved to the end of the runway, ready to take to the air.

"Banff Tower, this is Calgary flight 236 requesting permission to take off," the pilot said into his head piece. The co-pilot checked the weather forecast.

"Clear skies ahead," he commented. "Looks like we'll have a smooth flight."

"Calgary Flight 236, this is Banff Tower," the air traffic controller replied. "Permission to take off granted."

The pilot revved up the engine and the jet began to roll down the track. Yao could feel the runway rumbling under the wheels and he instinctively reached for his brother's hand. Li Xiao took hold of Yao's hand and gave it a squeeze as the jet lifted in to the air and they left Natalya and her threats far behind.

* * *

As the jet ran down the runway, the loosened fuel line to the engine rattled and loosened further. Fuel was already leaking through, though it held as the plane rose into the air but it was just hanging on. On the ground, Natalya took out a remote control and press the button on it. In the internal workings of the radio, an increase of electrical current shorted out a circuit board in the radio and from that point on, the radio was dead.

* * *

Ivan and Sergei watched the plane go higher and further away, the distance making Ivan's heart ache the greater it became but at least Yao and Li Xiao were safe now. Sergei sighed with relief.

"Now that they're free and clear," he commented. "We can get on with the hard work, finding and catching Natalya." Then something caught his eye. There was an airport employee stood by the far end of the building, a young man with short silver, blonde hair but there was something about him. Sergei was drawn to his body, not in a perverted way but more like he had seen the movements and mannerisms before. Then an awful thought hit him as he recognised the movements that he spend many hours observing.

"NATALYA!" he shouted and the employee instinctively turned toward him and Ivan looked in the direction Sergei was shouting in. Then he saw her, short hair and dressed like an man but it was Natalya's face. Natalya took off and Ivan and Sergei followed in pursuit as they chased her. Sergei was faster than both Ivan and Natalya and he began to gain on her, his longer legs eating up the distance and sooner he was almost right on top of her. Then he dove and grabbed Natalya by the waist and took her down to the ground. She tried to scramble away but Sergei grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. She fell back to the ground and Sergei turned her over and pinned her hands to the ground and looked her in the eyes, purple clashing violet.

 __Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_ _ Both of them froze for a moment and then Natalya screamed in denial.

"NO!" she shrieked. "NO! YOU CAN'T BE MY SOULMATE!" Sergei summed up his feelings in one Russian word.

"Der'mo! ( __Shit!_ _ )," he swore. His soulmate was this …. this …... _lunatic!_ He stood up, grasping her wrists and pulling her up with him. Ivan caught up with them.

"What are you doing here, Natalya?" he demanded. Natalya turned toward him.

"Freeing you, Big Brother," she replied. "Soon you'll be free from Yao's influence and we can become one." She turned back to Sergei. "No matter what!" she hissed.

"I'm not thrilled to have you for a soulmate either," Sergei replied, tersely. "You think I want my soulmate to be some incestuous mad woman."

"Your soulmate?" Ivan asked. The expression on Sergei's face was resigned.

"My heart is beating," he sighed. "So is hers and neither of us is happy about it."

"We'll sort that out later," Ivan replied. "What do you mean, you were freeing me?" Natalya just smiled and both Ivan and Sergei looked toward the direction the plane had taken.

"She's sabotaged the plane!" Sergei concluded. "We have to warn them!" They dragged Natalya back to the airport and went to the desk.

"Call the police!" Ivan ordered to the woman behind the departure desk. "And warned the tower! We think Flight Calgary 236 has been sabotaged. You must bring it back now." The woman looked a little sceptical but did not object and called the tower before calling the police to tell them of the suspected sabotage. In the tower, the air traffic controller took the call, debated whether or not to take the report seriously for a moment and decided to err on the side of caution.

"Calgary Flight 236, this is Banff Tower, please respond!" Silence met his ears.

"Calgary Flight 236, can you hear me, please respond!" Still nothing. The air traffic controller began to realise that the sabotage was not a joke.

"Calgary Flight 236, can you hear?"

* * *

The pilots were at their target height and levelled out. The co-pilot, First Officer Jack Gagnon decided to check in with the air traffic controller.

"Banff Tower," he spoke into his microphone. "This is Calgary Flight 236. We've levelled out at 3500 feet, do you copy?" There was no reply and the co-pilot frowned.

"Banff Tower, do you read me?" The air ways were silent.

"I'm getting nothing from the tower," he told the pilot, Captain William Maurier.

"Keep trying," he ordered. "And warn the passengers that we have some turbulence ahead."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentleman, this is your co-pilot speaking," came the voice over the speaker system. "Just to warn you that we have some turbulence ahead of us so we will experience some disturbance in flight. Don't worry, we'll be through it quite quickly." Li Xiao held Yao's hand reassuringly and Yao returned the grip but he wished Ivan was with him.

* * *

As the turbulence made the plane shake, the fuel line came away from the engine's fuel supply unit. Suddenly starved of fuel, the engines lost power immediately and, within less than a minute, the jet turned into a metal glider.

* * *

In the cockpit, the pilots were suddenly thrown into confusion when their engine suddenly died and they began to go through the check list to try and get their engines back, not knowing that it was not possible and the plane began to fall out of the sky. Yao felt the change as he had been feeling the vibration of the engines since the beginning of the journey and he felt the moment when the vibrating stopped. He squeezed his brother's hand tightly and Li Xiao knew his brother was distressed about something.

"What's wrong?" Li Xiao asked.

"The engines has stopped, aru."

* * *

"Calgary Flight 236, please respond!" the air traffic controller was still trying to reach the plane and he was staring at the radar. Flight 236 was losing height fast. 3000 feet... 2800 feet... "Calgary Flight 236, please, can you hear me?"...2300 feet ….It continued to drop until...

Calgary Flight 236 disappeared off the radar.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I know bugger all about jet engines so I probably fouled up how Natalya sabotaged the plane!


	12. Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Yao and Li Xiao get out alive?

 

** _**Chapter 12 : Crash** _ **

 

_ Earlier …. _

 

 _Mayday! Mayday! Declaring an emergency! Lost power to both engines! Please respond!_ Yao could not hear the co-pilot's desperate emergency message but he could feel and hear what was going on in the passenger section. He wished he had not told Li Xiao that the engines had stopped because he could now feel his younger brother's tension which he was trying to keep hidden for Yao's sake but the other four passengers now had noticed the lack of vibration from the engines and were beginning to become concerned as Yao heard a male voice call over the only stewardess of the twelve seater plane to ask her what was going on. He could hear the stewardess reply, very politely, that everything was fine and not to worry but Yao's finely-tuned ears could pick up the faint hint of tension in her tone and knew that she really did not think that everything was 'fine'.

Yao felt Li Xiao squeeze his hand, revealing his worried state and Yao squeezed back in comfort, deciding not to add to his brother's stress by telling him that Yao could now smell something that smelt suspiciously like fuel that seemed to be coming from the floor. Yao was no expert on planes but if there was a fuel leak, it explained why the engines were not working if fuel was not getting to them.

The pilots must have some control because the plane was still flying with little problem and Yao knew that planes could still fly for a while without working engines and he had to trust the pilots to get them down safely. It was as this thought was passing through his mind when the plane began shaking as they hit more turbulence and then the plane began dropping. Li Xiao squeezed his hand tight and Yao held his breath. Then the plane levelled out again.

_ ' This is your Captain speaking ,' _ a man's voice came over the speaker.  _ ' We are experiencing some technical problems and have dropped to a lower height to avoid turbulence. We apologise for any disruption! ' _ Once again, Yao could hear the tension. What the pilot was not saying was the turbulence had cost them airspeed and he had to drop the nose to regain it.

"Something's really wrong, isn't it?" Li Xiao whispered to Yao so the other passenger's could not overhear him. He knew, while Yao could not see, his other senses compensated and were more finely-tuned than a sighted person. He could always hear in Li Xiao's voice when he was being less than truthfully, could tell every single different flower in a full bouquet, tell you each and every ingredient used in whatever meal he was eating, no matter how little used and could tell his clothes apart, just by the feel of the cloth. Yao could not lie to his brother this time.

"Shi," he replied. "Something is very wrong."

* * *

The turbulence had cost them too much airspeed and height and the plane was not going to make it back to the airport or any other that was nearby with the turns they would have to make and the descents to remain fast enough to stay in the air so they began to look around for a place to land. Difficult to do when surrounded by mountains but the pilots knew of an area that might be big enough for them to land. They had passed over it many times and they just might have enough speed to make it there but they would have to dump the fuel to lightened the plane and reduced the risk of explosion. Captain Maurier picked put the microphone again to address the passengers to tell them about this new development and prepare them for an emergency landing.

"This is your captain speaking," he said, taking a deep breath. _"Due to engine failure, we are forced to perform an emergency landing. Please listen to the stewardess for instructions and keep calm."_ The captain did a good job of keeping his voice calm but Yao knew he was tense. The stewardess ran through the 'brace for impact' procedure and Li Xiao took Yao through the steps physically so he would know what to do as he could not see what the stewardess was demonstrating.

"Oh please, I can't die," he heard a young woman's voice weep. "I haven't found my soulmate yet." He could hear the others on their phones, calling relatives and soulmates to tell them what was happening and that they loved them. It was heart-breaking to hear and Yao suddenly could not stand the thought of Ivan not hearing that from him one last time.

"Li Xiao, please," he said. "Call Ivan! I have to talk to him, before we go down. Just in case!"

"We're going to make it," Li Xiao replied, adamantly but took out his phone any way and called Ivan, putting his phone in Yao's hand and Yao put it to his ear and waited for Ivan to pick up.

* * *

Ivan was still waiting with Sergei, holding Natalya prisoner while they waited for the police to take her into custody when his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was Li Xiao's number and answered it.

"Privet," he greeted.

"Ivan," Yao's voice answered.

"Podsolnuhk!" Ivan gasped. "We caught Natalya! She's done something to the plane and the tower can't get in contact. You have to tell the pilots that ….."

"It's too late!" Yao replied. "The engines have failed and we have to make an emergency landing. I think it's going to be bad, aru." Ivan went pale and looked at Natalya who gazed smugly back.

"I had to call you," Yao continued. "Just in case. I had to tell I love you and say g..."

"Don't you dare say goodbye!" Ivan practically shouted down the phone. "You're not going to die! You or Li Xiao. I will not lose either of you, not to Natalya's insanity! Promise me that you won't die!" A sob came down the phone.

"I can't, aru!" Yao wept. "I can't make a promise I might not be able to keep. I can only promise to try to live and come back to you. Ivan, the most wonderful moment in my life was when I felt your heart beat and my one regret is that mine never beat for you, aru!"

"I don't care about that!" Ivan replied as two police officers arrived to take charge of Natalya. "You are my Podsolnuhk! Beating heart or not, you belong here with me and this is where you'll stay. Promise me!"

"I'll always be your side,  _ my silly Russian bear _ ," Yao replied. "Always, no matter what happens! I have to go now! The stewardess wants us all to turn the phones off because we're getting ready to land, aru."

"Yao!"

"I love you, Ivan!" The phone went dead.

"YAO!" There was no answer and Ivan just stared at his phone as he were trying to find a way to reach through it and pull Yao and Li Xiao to safety. Which, of course, was impossible.

"You'll soon be free, Big Brother," Natalya said in the handcuffs that the police had placed her in. She did not hear the faint 'kolkolkol' that was rumbling in Ivan's throat, a sure sign that he was enraged. "That heart thief will be gone and you can lead the life you were always meant t …..." The kolkolkol got louder and Ivan's hand lashed out and grabbed Natalya by the throat. The police officers aimed their guns at Ivan.

"Please let go, sir," they demanded but Ivan directed his reply to Natalya who was gasping for air.

"Sister or not, if Yao dies," he said, a dark oppressive mood coming off him like a cloud. "If any of those people on that plane die, I won't kill you but you'll wish I had. You've endangered your last innocent, Natalya! Even Father won't help you this time!" He let her go and she staggered back into the grip of the police, sucking in much needed oxygen.

"Get her out of my sight!" Ivan snapped and turned his back on her. She called out to him as she was dragged away and Ivan turned to Sergei.

"You have my sympathy, mon drug," he said. As far as Ivan was concerned, Natalya was no longer his sister and Sergei wondered what his life would be now that he was soulmate to a lunatic who would probably kill him rather than accept him. Ivan went back to the desk and the woman behind it who had been watching it all.

"Any more news about Calgary Flight 236?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, sir," she replied. "I'll let you know you when we have more news." Ivan closed his eyes in despair but told himself he must not lose hope. Yao would survive this. He had to!

* * *

Yao had desperately wanted to give Ivan the promise he so desired but Yao did not want his last words to his soulmate to be a lie. He wanted to live and grow old with Ivan but it was out of his hands and up to Fate now. He prayed that fate would be kind. The open area that the pilots were heading for came into view and they had just enough airspeed left to reach it and began procedure for landing while the stewardess addressed the passengers.

"We're coming in for a landing," she warned. "So please assume emergency positions." Everyone placed their hands on the back of their heads and curled forward, bracing their heads against the seat in front while the stewardess got into the crew jump seat and sat back straight against it. As Yao put his head against the seat in front of him, his right hand covered his left and he ran his fingers over the jade engagement ring on the third finger of his left hand and wondered if there would ever be a wedding ring to join it as the plane began to near the ground.

* * *

Captain Maurier looked over at his co-pilot who looked back then they turned back to the task at hand as a wide clearing of snow came into view ahead of them. They only had one chance at this and the passengers were depending on them to get them down alive.

The ground got closer and the Ground Proximity Warning began to sound.  _ T _ _ _ errain! Pull up! Terrain! Pull up! _ _ The warning was ignored as the plane got closer to the ground. A hundred feet ….. ninety feet ….. eighty feet. The altimeter turned as the plane got closer and closer to the ground. Fifty feet …. forty feet ….. thirty feet. Maurier griped the controls as the altimeter went to twenty feet ….. ten feet.

_ _ TERRAIN! PULL UP! _ _

…………… 

* * *

The plane rocked as it hit the ground as everyone was jolted in their seats and there was the sound of crashing metal as the wings tore away from the body of the plane. Yao was thrown away from the seat in front of him and then he fell back against it. He heard Li Xiao cry out in shock beside him and the female passenger scream in fear. There were shouts from the other male passengers while the plane shook as it continued on through the snow, the tail breaking off as the structure failed under the stress of the crash. Then Yao heard something breaking above him and he instinctively reached out for Li Xiao and pulled himself over him. There was a brief second of blind pain as something struck him in his left temple then he sank into blessed oblivion.

* * *

Ivan paced as he waited for news of Yao's plane. The woman at the desk had looked up a few times at the agitated Russian and his companion who did his best to try and calm him down. Then the phone rang and she answered it. Ivan turned to stare at her as she spoke on the phone and she looked up at him, giving Ivan a bad feeling as she put the phone down and came over to him.

"Da?" he asked and she took a deep breath.

"Calgary Flight 236 just vanished off the radar," she replied. "Search teams are being contacted as we speak to find them but we don't know what their condition is yet. I'm sorry!" She went back to her desk to call the police so they could find and contact the next of kin of the other passengers and crew. Sergei put his hand on Ivan shoulder in comfort.

"They could have landed intact, Ivan," he said. "Don't give up hope just yet. They could be safe and waiting for rescue." Ivan looked up at him.

"You work for my father, da?" he asked. "Do you have a pilot's licence? Flown helicopters?"

"Da," Sergei replied, wary.

"Then we're taking the helicopter up," Ivan said, grabbing Sergei's wrist and pulling him toward the door. "We're going to look for them." And he pulled Sergei out into the snow.

"Ivan, I'm not a member of the crew," Sergei protested. "They may not allow it and your new temporary member isn't here yet."

"I don't care," Ivan replied. "I'm going to look for my soulmate and you're going to help me." He almost threw Sergei into the car. Sergei saw the determination in Ivan's eyes and stopped protesting. He could only hope that Ivan calmed down and saw sense by the time they reached the Rescue Station. Vain hope!

* * *

Li Xiao took a moment to realize that the plane had stopped rocking and he could hear groaning. He could feel a stinging pain in his cheek and his arm hurt badly. He tried to move but there was something on top of him and he looked round to his brother's body draped over him.

"Yao," he said. "Are you okay?" He got no answer.

"Yao?" Li Xiao pushed his brother off with his good arm, just enough to see his face. Yao was unconscious, pale and blood was steaming down the left side of his head and, for one horrible moment, Li Xiao thought Yao was dead but then he saw his brother's chest rising and falling and he sighed with relief but Yao needed help. He climbed out of his seat and tried to lift Yao from his seat but with only one uninjured arm, he was incapable of carrying Yao's weight but there was no way he could leave his brother. He felt someone grab his shoulder and turned to see one of the other male passengers looking at him. He had bumps and scrapes but it looked like he had escaped relatively unscathed.

"You need to get out, kid," he advised. "The plane could still explode so you need to leave."

"I can't leave my brother!" Li Xiao declared. The man looked at the unconscious Yao as if debating whether or not Yao was still alive then he reached down and pulled Yao's body into his arms and hoisted him on to his shoulder. Then he carried Yao, followed by Li Xiao through the wrecked plane and out the back where the tail was missing and out into the snow.

Outside, the other passengers were making their way as far away from the plane as they could get and, behind Li Xiao and the man carrying Yao, Gagnon, carrying Maurier was the last out of the plane. Everyone made for the nearby tree line, looking for cover and Everyone had injuries, ranging from bumps and scrapes to broken bones but the worse injured were Yao and Captain Maurier who had been thrown against the controls as he battled to get the plane to stop. The stewardess had the foresight to grab a first-aid kit and some blankets that were on board for night time flights, knowing they would be needed for the injured. The blankets were used for Yao and Maurier and all injuries were attended to as best they could with what they had. Now they all they could do was huddle together, waiting for rescue and praying that Yao and Maurier would survive long enough to be rescued.

* * *

Ivan was still determined to take the helicopter up when they reached the Rescue Station so Sergei had another go at trying to talk Ivan out of it.

"Ivan, Your HQ won't let me fly the helicopter because they have no insurance to let me do so," he explained. "If we take that helicopter up without permission, you could get fired."

"I don't care!" Ivan declared. "All that matters is finding Yao and Li Xiao. Those other passengers need rescuing too so I'm going. I'll deal with the consequences later." He got out of the car and that was when he spotted a man looking in at the windows of the station.

"Can I help you, moy drug?" he asked. The man turned to look at Ivan. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes and was a native Canadian.

"Hello, I'm looking for Ivan Braginski," he said. "My name is Bryan Maxwell, I'm here as Matthew Williams's replacement." Ivan face lit up.

"Privet, moy drug," he beamed. "You couldn't have come at a better time." He looked through his keys and found the one to the station. "Get suited up! You can use Matvey's gear, we have a missing plane to find." They went in and Ivan directed Sergei in the direction of Aleks's locker to get kitted up while he donned his own gear and went to check the helicopter and tow it out of the hanger.

"Just so you know," Sergei decided to warn the new guy while Ivan was out of the way. "I'm a pilot but I'm not the pilot for this team. The other pilot just got arrested for sabotaging the plane that we're going to look for." Bryan stared at Sergei in shock and pointed through the door that Ivan had disappeared through.

"Why is he risking his job doing this?" he asked. Sergei sighed.

"His soulmate and future brother-in-law were on the plane!" Bryan looked through the door and back at Sergei then went back to putting on his gear.

"What was the conversation we just had?" he asked. "I don't remember it!" Sergei stared at the man who was effectively saying he was pretending he did not know about Sergei and soon Bryan, Ivan and Sergei, who was wondering how all this was going to end, were in the air with Ivan explaining to the search team over the radio why a grounded helicopter was joining them.

_ 'Hold on, Podsolnuhk! ' _ he thought to himself.  _ _ ' _ I'm coming! ' _

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The search is on!


	13. S.O.S

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rescue teams are out in force

** _**S.O.S** _ **

The helicopter whirled over the landscape as the crew looked over the area, searching for any sight of the plane. Sergei filled Bryan in on the details of the situation regarding Natalya and Bryan pitied Ivan but he also knew that Ivan would be in trouble for taking the helicopter up with an unsanctioned pilot but he really felt for the guy. How would he feel if it was his soulmate in danger? (when he finally found them). Bryan believed that many would break the rules to save them which was why he chose to pretend that he did not know that Sergei was not a member of the rescue crew. He just hoped he did not regret it.

They finished up the area without spotting anything that could be the plane and Ivan used the radio to report and to say they were going on to the next area. Sergei turned the helicopter and they continued with their search.

* * *

After a while, the passengers were reassured that the plane was not going to explode and the able-bodied began scavenging it for anything useful. Phones, it turned out, were useless as there was no signal so calling for help was out. More blankets were found and pillows were brought back along with any other first aid kits that were found and whatever food and water that was on board and still edible. Axes and flash lights were also procured and the life vests and the life raft for emergency ditch landings which had a flare pistol with it, were brought back to create palettes to put Yao and Captain Maurier on to get them off the ground. The man who had carried Yao out began bringing back parts of the plane with the help of the other able-bodied passengers to build a make-shift shelter as they did not know how long rescue would take and Yao and Captain Maurier needed to be out of the elements.

Yao still had not regained consciousness and Maurier had internal bleeding from where he impacted with the controls. Everyone did what they could to help and make their situation more comfortable with no one whining. The stewardess and the female passenger watched over Yao and Maurier while the others began tying parts of the plane to nearby trees and hoisting a large piece over the top to serve as a roof, should it start snowing again. Li Xiao got a fire going to keep them warm which was made harder with his arm in a sling but easier with one of the passengers finding a lighter. Then he collected twigs and small branches that were lying nearby to feed the fire through the night while another male passenger took one of the axes over to a fallen tree and used it off the branches to create bigger logs that would last longer in the flames.

The sky was turning dark when they were finished and they all went into the shelter for the night. The food and water was rationed and everybody got a share. Maurier regained consciousness and the stewardess was able to get him to drink some water although he was in too much pain to eat. Yao remained unconscious and nothing Li Xiao could do would wake him up. The man who had carried Yao out of the plane wandered over to the boy sat beside his brother.

"Hey, kid," he said. "How are you doing?" Li Xiao looked up at the man.

"I'll do better if Yao would wake up," he replied. Then he held up his hand to the man. "I never thanked you for helping me get Yao out. I'm Wang Li Xiao." The man took Li Xiao's hand and shook it.

"Daniel Walters," he said. "Architect from New York, up here for the skiing. Never expected this, though."

"So that explains our current accommodation," Li Xiao replied, looking round at their make-shift shelter and Daniel looked up at the piece of plane above their heads.

"Yeah," he said. "That and I sometimes do these weekend survival trips. You know, learning how to survive in the wild with what you can find. We don't know how long it will be until we're found and we're out in the snow. Now it's getting darker, any searches sent out for us will be called off until morning so we have to work with what we have. Nice job on the fire, by the way."

"Easy with a lighter," Li Xiao replied, then muttered. "I wondered if Ivan's searching for us too."

"Ivan?" Daniel asked.

"My brother's soulmate," Li Xiao replied. "He's on one of the rescue teams around here." Daniel was confused. When he had carried Yao from the plane, his ear had been up against Yao's left side and he had not heard a heartbeat.

"Is your brother's heart beating?" he asked. "I didn't hear it while carrying him."

"Yao's blind," Li Xiao replied. "He can't see Ivan's eyes so his heart won't beat but Ivan's did so we know they're soul mates." Daniel looked at the Chinese man lying on the upside down raft.

"Well, I hope he makes it," he said. Li Xiao took hold of Yao's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"He will!" he said, adamantly. "He has to."

* * *

"All search aircraft," came a message over the radio. "Return to your bases! The Canadian Air-force will be taking over the night time search. We'll begin again at daybreak." Ivan looked at the darkening sky but ignored both that and the order.

"Ivan," Sergei said when Ivan showed no sign of turning around. "We have to go back to the station."

"Nyet!"

"Ivan, I know you want to find them," Sergei told him. "Need to find them but it's going to be too dark to see soon and we're getting low on fuel. If we keep going, they won't just be looking for the plane in the morning, they'll be looking for us. You'll be of no use to Yao or Li Xiao if we crash as well." Ivan sighed. He knew Sergei was right but the idea of ….

"It's just the thought of them out here alone," he muttered. "And I'm unable to reach them ….."

"I know, moy drug," Sergei replied. "But the search isn't over. This helicopter can't operate at night but the air-force can and they'll be searching while we can't. It's not over, Ivan." Ivan continued to fly the helicopter for a moment. He wanted to be the one to find his soulmate, little brother and the other passengers but, in the dark, he could end up bring the helicopter down and endangering his own life and the lives of the people on board, helping no one. That was not just dangerous, it was selfish so Ivan turned the helicopter back to the Rescue Station.

* * *

Searchlights moved across the over the snow and night covered landscape, looking for a sign of a crash landing, a down plane or, worse case scenario, wreckage. One air-force helicopter moved on from the area where contact was lost and began searching the next section. Fortunately, it was not snowing so the crew had hopes for the survival of any survivors but they needed to find them soon and they hoped that they had not wandered away from the crash site.

* * *

Li Xiao slept lightly, waking whenever there was a sound or a snort or snore from one of the others who managed to sleep and every time he woke, he checked on Yao who's condition had not changed. Gagnon was keeping an eye on Maurier who seemed to be getting worse and Li Xiao really wanted the captain to survive. After all, it was his and Gagnon's skill that had bought them this chance so the guy deserved a break but if there was one thing Li Xiao knew from experience, it was that life was not fair.

Someone cried out in their sleep and woke Li Xiao yet again and he checked Yao yet again but there was no change. It was then that Li Xiao heard the  _ whomp, whomp, whomp! _ He left the shelter to see where the noise was coming from and there, in the distance, he could see a dark shape in the sky and a beam of light pointed at the ground, moving around.

Li Xiao rushed back into the shelter, over to the supplies and began rummaging through them until he found what he was looking for. He picked up a flash light and put it in his pocket, opened up the small case containing the flare gun, awkward with only one functioning arm, and took it out.

"Hey, kid," Gagnon said as he came up beside him. "What are you doing?"

"There's an helicopter outside," Li Xiao replied, putting a flare cartridge into the barrel. "It has a search light so I think it's looking for us." Gagnon took the flare gun from him and picked up another flash light.

"Show me!" he ordered. They went outside and Li Xiao pointed in the direction he had seen the helicopter. It had moved a little to the right but the searchlight was still searching so Gagnon pointed the flare gun into the air and fired.

* * *

The searchlight spun around the ground but showed only snow, rocks and trees. The co-pilot was looking down while the pilot flew the helicopter so he was the one who saw the flare as it flew into the sky.

"That's got to be them," he said as he turned the helicopter in the direction of the flare. Soon, they were flying over a clear area and the searchlight fell onto the wreckage of the plane.

"That's a mess," the co-pilot commented as he moved the light over the shattered plane that was missing its wings and tail and had left a gouge mark in the ground when it had crashed. "How did anyone survive that?"

"There must be survivors because someone must have fired that flare," the pilot replied. "Try aiming the light at the tree line, they may have taken shelter there." He shouted into the back. "You guys be ready. They probably need medical assistance!" The four airmen in the back, two of them medics, prepared for an emergency while the co-pilot got on the radio and reported the sighting while he shone the light across the tree line. Then he saw two lights coming from the ground to the left and aimed the light in that direction. Two figures could be seen, waving flash lights in their direction and the co-pilot got onto the radio again.

"Base, we've found them!"

* * *

Ivan paced the floor back at the Rescue Station while Sergei sipped cocoa. Bryan was sleeping in one of the cots in the bunk room used for when the crew were on these type of rescues and had to be out at first light. Ivan had not stopped since they came back. The helicopter was refuelled, checked over and ready to go, they were just waiting for the sun to come back up. HQ seemed to be still unaware that the helicopter had even been in the air, let alone with an uninsured pilot but when they found out, there would be hell to pay. Sergei watched as Ivan paced a few more laps, put down his mug, stood up and stretched.

"I'm going to get my head down for a few hours," he said. "You should do the same. You're not going to be able to fly the helicopter if you're too tired so you should some sleep too. By the way, your father will be here tomorrow. I called him after Natalya's arrest and, I can tell you, he's not happy with your sister. I'm not looking forward to telling him she's my soulmate."

"I will leave Natalya to my father," Ivan replied. "We have grounds to have her committed now. It's just wrong that it took a plane crash to be able to do it. And how can I sleep with my soulmate and Mladshiy Brat missing in the snow."

"The same reason you brought the helicopter home," Sergei replied. "For their benefit. You're no good if you're too exhausted to function." Ivan knew Sergei was right but he also knew that he would be tossing and turning rather than actually sleeping so it seemed pointless to him to try.

"If you want," Sergei offered. "I'll be main pilot tomorrow while you and Bryan look out for the plane but you must at least try to get some sleep." Ivan sighed and nodded. Just as they were heading for the bunk room, the phone rang and Ivan answered.

"Hello," he greeted and listened to what was being said on the other end. Sergei watched Ivan face change to one of hope. "Thank you." He put the phone down.

"It looks like we won't be going back up," he said. "The plane's been found."

* * *

Another helicopter was sent out to help the crash victims but the first brought back Maurier, Yao, Li Xiao and the female passenger and stewardess, the three most injured and the women. The second helicopter had arrived as they were taking off to ferry the remaining passengers. Maurier and Yao were put on brain scanners to monitor their brain function as neither one had a heartbeat.

But on the way to the hospital in Banff, something began to go wrong.

"We're losing one!"

"Breathing getting faint!"

"Brain function's dropping, charge the brain defibrillator!" The brain defibrillator worked in the same way as the heart defibrillator, discharging a split-second burst of electricity to kick-start a brain that had stopped functioning and the other medic prepared the emergency machine.

"He's flat-lined!" The other medic applied the electrodes to the temples and set the charge. The other medic took his hands away and the other operated the machine. There was a flicker on the brain scanner but then it flat-lined again. The machine was charged again and they continued to work as the helicopter raced to the hospital.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the brain defibrillator sounds like electro-shock therapy but it was the only thing I could come up with for people who's hearts don't beat.


	14. Hoping For A Miracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan waits for news.

** _**Hoping For A Miracle!** _ **

  
  


"I'm sorry, Mr Braginski," the receptionist in A & E replied. Ivan and Sergei had left the sleeping Bryan a note and immediately left for the hospital. "All I can tell you is that the helicopter is on-route. It should be here in the next couple of minutes but I have no information on the condition of the patients. Please take a seat, I'll inform you when I have more news." Sergei took Ivan's arm and pulled him away from the desk.

"They can't tell you what they don't know, moy drug," he said. "Let them do their job and they'll let us know more when they do." Ivan rubbed his hands with his face.

"I hope they're on this helicopter," he prayed. "They would bring back the survivors first, da? But, they would also bring back the worse injured first. I don't know what to hope for!"

"Hope for the best," Sergei replied. "It's all you can do for Yao and Li Xiao right now."

"I could give the same advice to you, moy drug," Ivan commented. "With Natalya as your soulmate." As much as he was glad Ivan had something to distract him from worrying about his family, Sergei wished Ivan had not picked that particular subject.

"Tell me about it," he sighed. "I know she's your sister but, after the things she has done, I don't want a person like that as a soulmate. How will I deal with her?”

"Perhaps Father can help," Ivan suggested. "You should talk to him when he arrives." Sergei rolled his eyes.

"What a merry conversation that will be!"

* * *

The helicopter touched down on the hospital heliport and orderlies and doctors rushed to take them off the helicopter and assess their condition. Four were taken in for treatment, one was taken to the morgue

* * *

Ivan had chosen the seats closest to the desk so he could hear what was happening and hopefully hear anything about Yao and Li Xiao which his why his ears pricked up when he heard the receptionist answer the phone. She listened for a while, gave an affirmative answer and put the phone now. Then she picked it back up and waited for an answer.

"Hello," she said. "The first helicopter's landed and the second one will be here soon. Four patients are on their way to A & E now …... No, one was pronounced dead on the helicopter and one is in a critical condition. Another has a broken arm and the other two have sprains, cuts and bruises ….."

Ivan zoned out of the rest of the conversation as one part began running around in his head.  _ One was pronounced dead on the helicopter …… _

_' Please, don't let it be Yao!' _ he chanted in his head, trying to drown it out.  _' And please don't let it be Li Xiao either!' _ Ivan went to the desk again.

"Who's dead?" he demanded. "You said someone had died on the helicopter, who was it?" He was dreading the answer.

"I'm sorry. Mr Braginski," the receptionist replied. "I wasn't given that information. I know you're worried about your soulmate and brother but there's another helicopter coming in so they may not even be on this one. I'll let you know as soon as I find out." Ivan began pacing and nothing Sergei could do could get him to sit down. The next fifteen minutes that passed were like a lifetime to Ivan. He vaguely heard the report of the second helicopter arriving with no more fatalities but he could not rest until he knew if Yao and Li Xiao were all right.

"Mr Braginski," the receptionist called. "Doctor Hanson will be coming to see you." She called to an orderly. "Rickie, can you show Mr Braginski and his friend to the Relatives Room." Sergei and Ivan looked at each other, worried while they were taken to the Relatives Room. They were sat there for a minute before a man with black hair and ice-blue eyes holding a clipboard came in.

"Mr Braginski?" he asked and Ivan stood up.

"Da, Doctor," he responded. "I am Ivan Braginski."

"Hello, Mr Braginski," the doctor replied. "I'm Doctor Hanson. I've been taking care of Wang Yao and I understand his younger brother, Li Xiao is also being treated so I took the liberty of checking on his progress for you."

"How are they, Doctor?" he asked.

"Li Xiao has a broken arm which is being reset and put in a cast as we speak," Hanson replied. "Aside from a few bumps and scrapes, that's the extent of his injuries but he's young and resilient so he should make a full recovery."

"What about Yao?" Doctor Hanson look less happy with that question and Ivan feared the worst.

"Yao suffered a serious head injury," he replied and Ivan's face fell, sure that Hanson was about to tell him that Yao had died and the doctor read that in his face.

"He's alive," he reassured Ivan and Ivan relaxed. "But he's in a critical condition. He has severe head trauma and we had to put him in an induced coma to stabilise him. We're requesting a neurosurgeon from Calgary, a Doctor Bell. He's one of the best but it will take a day for him to get here which is another reason we put Yao into a coma." Ivan was too shocked to respond.

"What are his chances, Doctor?" Sergei asked.

"I would say fifty-fifty," Hanson replied. "Less if we couldn't get Bell but without surgery, Yao would eventually die so it's more than worth the risk. One question, however." He turned to Ivan.

"I was informed that you are Yao's soulmate," Hanson said. "But Yao's heart isn't beating ….."

"Yao is blind, Doctor," Ivan replied, coming out of his shock.

"Ahh," Hanson replied, understanding. "I see. As his soulmate, I need your permission to allow Doctor Bell to operate when he arrives. I assume I have it?"

"You said Yao will die without intervention," Ivan replied. "I have no choice but to say yes. It's the only chance he has." Doctor Hanson handed Ivan the clipboard and Ivan signed the permission form.

"I'll have an orderly bring Li Xiao to you when he's finished being treated," Hanson said and quietly left. Ivan sat back down and put his head in his hands.

"I can't lose him," he said in a broken voice. "What will I do if he dies?" Sergei put his hand on Ivan's back.

"You heard the doctor," he told him. "They're getting one of the best to operate on him, they're giving Yao every chance they can to live. You must have faith, Ivan!"

"He has a fifty-fifty chance," Ivan replied. "He could still die."

"But he could also still live!" Sergei emphasised. "Don't bury him before he's cold. And remember, you have Li Xiao to think of. What will it do to him if Yao's soulmate's giving up on his brother?" Ivan looked up.

"You're right," he replied. "I must be positive for Li Xiao sake."

"And your own."

* * *

General Arlovsky had his passport checked at customs at Calgary International Airport and, once everything was in order, the first order of business was to get some breakfast as it was too early to hire a rental car. Dmitri had caught the overnight flight and it was only just after six in the morning and the earliest any of the car rental places opened was seven. He found an all-night restaurant and ordered his meal and, while he waited, he took out his phone and dialled Ivan's number. It went to voice-mail and Dmitri ended the call, wondering if it was too early. A minute later, his phone rang and it was Ivan, calling back and Dmitri pressed answer.

"Privet, moy  syn ( _ my son _ )," he greeted.

 

"Privet, Otets ( _ Father _ )," Ivan replied. "I'm sorry I didn't answer when you call. I had to leave the building before I could use my phone... I'm at the hospital, Otets." Dmitri imagined the worst.

"Why are you at the hospital, Ivan?"

"Yao and Li Xiao were in a plane crash," Ivan replied. "I was sending them to Calgary and then to China. Otets, Natalya sabotaged the plane! There were eight other people on board and one has died."

"Not Yao or Li Xiao!" Dmitri exclaimed.

"Nyet!" Ivan replied. "I've yet to see Yao or Li Xiao but they're alive. I've been told that Li Xiao has broken his arm but he should be all right. Yao ….." Ivan broke off.

"Ivan?"

"Yao's in a coma," Ivan replied with a broken voice. "They're bringing in a neurosurgeon to perform surgery on him. He could die, Otets!" Dmitri could hear the emotional turmoil in his son's voice.

"Be strong, moy syn," he said. "He's not dead yet. I'm in Canada now and, once I hire a car, I'll be on my way to Banff. Do you know where Natalya is now?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "She's in police custody. You know she shot Katyusha!"

"Da," Dmitri said. "Eduard called to tell me. And now with the sabotage of a plane full of innocent people, she needs to go where she can't hurt anyone else. I'll deal with Natalya when I get there but I'll come to you first. I feel sorry for her poor soulmate when she finds them."

"Yes, Otets, about that …..."

* * *

Since returning from meeting his soulmate's brother and his soul mate, Matthew had had an eventful couple of days, the most exciting of which was meeting back up with Gilbert's friend, Francis who had found his own soul mate, Allistor Kirkland who had, against all odds, turned out to be the brother of Alfred's missing soulmate, Matthew's own brother. Alfred had met his soulmate when he was three and had been separated from him and he had not seen him since. Turned out that Allistor's brother, Arthur Kirkland was working with Alfred and the two had started dating. Their reunion had been recorded and put on Youtube where it was viewed so many times the site almost crashed. Matthew's brother and his soulmate were now world famous and everyone called them, ' _ The _ Soulmates'.

Matthew finally had time to go and see Aleks and Gilbert accompanied him to the hospital to see his friend. Aleks was sat up with Vladimir at his side when Matthew and Gilbert came in.

"Welcome back, Mattie," Vlad greeted, getting up and hugging his friend then Matthew went over to Aleks and hugged him.

"How are you now?" he asked Aleks.

"Getting better," Aleks replied. "I'll be able to come home soon."

"Can't be too soon for me," Vlad commented. "How are things for you and Gilbert?"

"Awesome!" Gilbert replied as he hugged Matthew. "Me and Birdie are perfect for each other. So what's been going on in this part of the world while we been gone."

"I've heard there was a plane crash yesterday," Aleks replied. "And the patients have been brought here. I imagine A & E were hectic when they were brought in."

"Well, I hope no one was badly hurt," Matthew replied. "Anything about Natalya?"

"She's wanted by the police," Vlad replied. "She tried to kill Yao and shot her own sister. Ivan's sending Yao and Li Xiao back to China for their own safety. She's gone right off the deep end this time, she'll be committed for sure."

"I think that would be best for everyone," Matthew commented. "Ivan and Yao, most of all!"

* * *

Sergei was not happy that Ivan had revealed to General Arlovsky that Natalya was his soulmate because, to be honest and despite his beating heart, Sergei wanted to forget the whole thing had happened.

"Did you have to tell him about me and Natalya?" he groaned. "I wish I could wake up and find all this has been a bad dream."

"As do I, moy drug," Ivan agreed. "He was going find out sooner or later but if it's any consolation, you have his support and sympathy. He said he was going to deal with Natalya when he arrives. I just want her kept as far away from me and my family as possible." The door opened and Li Xiao stepped in. He had a large plaster on his cheek and his arm was in a cast and immobilised with a sling. He looked tired and disheartened and Ivan got out of his chair to enclose him in a comforting hug.

"Thank goodness you are safe, Mladshiy Brat," he said. Li Xiao did not fight the hug but he did not welcome it either. He seem to have shut down in an effort to push back what he had just been through.

"The pilot died," he said, tonelessly. "He got us down, gave us a chance but he didn't make it. He should have made it!" Ivan agreed with Li Xiao. People were still alive because of the pilot's skill but he paid for it with his life. Ivan sent silent thanks to the pilot's spirit but now Li Xiao was talking about what happened, everything was crashing in on him.

"Yao wouldn't wake up," Li Xiao began to shake and tears crept into his eyes. "I couldn't carry him from the plane, Daniel had to carry him for me but I couldn't get him to wake up." Then Li Xiao began sobbing on Ivan's shoulder. "Then the helicopter came and I thought 'everything all right now' but then the pilot died and Yao still won't wake up!" Ivan held Li Xiao as he sobbed out the pain and fear he had driven back for the sake of surviving that was surfacing now he did not have to be strong. Ivan made a point of finding this 'Daniel' and thanking him for helping Yao and Li Xiao but right now, Li Xiao was his priority.

"He will wake up, Mladshiy brat," he promised, although he did not know how to make good on that, it was out of his hands and he hated that. "The doctors will see to it." Li Xiao continued to cry uncontrollably and, eventually cried himself to sleep. Ivan laid him down on the chairs and put his coat under Li Xiao's head as a pillow. Sergei had watched all this, feeling somewhat intrusive on this private moment but unable to stop watching.

"He's so strong for his brother," he commented. "You forget how young he really is."

"Da," Ivan replied. "I blame myself for the trouble I brought into his and Yao's life." Sergei sighed.

"This is not your fault, Ivan," he said. "You were destined to meet Yao, just as I was destined to meet your sister, no matter how much we might wish otherwise. This is all down to Natalya, not you! You should go home, get some rest. I can stay here and watch Li Xiao and I'll call you if there's any change with Yao."

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "I won't be able to rest so I might as well stay here."

"At least get out of A & E," Sergei ordered. "Your friend is still in hospital, isn't he? Why not go and see him. He'll want to know about Yao, I'm sure." Yes, thought Ivan, Aleks would want to know as well as Vladimir but he looked over at Li Xiao sleeping on the chair. "I'll watch over him, go!" Ivan gave Li Xiao one last look and then left and went up to Aleks's ward.

* * *

Gilbert was entertaining Aleks and Vlad with stories of his recent visit to his brother and how he interrupted his brother's 'fun' with his soulmate a couple of times and then he told them of the miracle of Ludwig Beilschmidt's blind soulmate's heart beating.

"I wonder if Yao's heart will ever beat without seeing Ivan's eyes," Matthew mused. "I know it would make Ivan happy!" There was a knock on the door and, after Aleks granted entrance, Ivan slowly walked into the room.

"Speak of the devil!" Gilbert replied.

"Hello, Ivan," Aleks greeted. "Yao and Li Xiao not with you? Already sent them to Calgary, I suppose." Ivan's reply shock them into silence.

"Yao and Li Xiao were in a plane crash," he said. "Yao's in A & E in a coma!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now they can only sit and hope.


	15. Time To Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. Hope you like!

** _**Time To Live!** _ **

  
  


Everyone just stared at Ivan and no one said a thing at first.

"The plane crash that the nurses were talking about earlier," Aleks finally broke the silence. "Yao and Li Xiao were on it!" Ivan just nodded.

"To escape Natalya, just to end up in a plane crash ….," Vladimir was stunned by the unfairness of it all.

"They didn't escape her," Ivan replied. "The plane crashed because Natalya sabotaged it and she finally succeed in killing someone." Everyone looked at Ivan in shock. If Yao was in a comma then …..

"Li Xiao?" Matthew said, shakily but everybody was relieved when Ivan shook his head.

"Li Xiao will be fine," he told them. "He has a broken arm and some cuts and bruises but he'll heal. The pilot got everybody down alive but he died on the way here, another innocent caught in Natalya's cross-hairs. I don't know if he had a soulmate but he probably had parents, siblings, family and Natalya's actions will affect them too. The police have her in custody and my father will be here soon to deal with her. I have no wish to lay eyes on her again."

"And what about Yao?" Aleks asked.

"A neurosurgeon is coming in to operate," Ivan replied. "It's the only chance Yao has of surviving but I've been told that his chances are fifty-fifty, only because the doctor coming in is one of the best they can get here. Until then, they're keeping him in an induced coma." Matthew put a comforting hand on Ivan's shoulder.

"They'll do everything possible, Ivan," he told Ivan. "This is a good hospital and Yao will have the best care."

"I can attest to that," Aleks agreed. "They're good here, Ivan. Yao's in the best hands."

"Thank you, moy drug," Ivan replied. "But even the best can't save everyone."

"Don't write him off yet, Ivan," Gilbert replied. "Matthew told me that Yao's blind? Well, if he's anything like mien bruder's soulmate, he's awesome and awesome people don't go down without a fight."

"Da," Ivan smiled. "Yao is awesome. I, of course, am bias."

"Then he'll pull through!"

* * *

General Arlovsky drove into Banff and went straight to the hospital. He called ahead and Ivan met him outside A & E and Dmitri hugged the son he had not seen for over four years.

"It's good to see you again, moy syn," he said. "Now, what news of Yao and Li Xiao?"

"Yao's still being kept in a coma," Ivan replied as they walked into the hospital. "They're expecting the neurosurgeon, Doctor Bell in the morning. Li Xiao broke his arm but he'll recover which is more than can be said for the pilot."

"Da," Dmitri agreed. "I will deal with that issue. She's killed an innocent person now, she can't be allowed to be among innocent people while this obsession persists. I thought family help would suffice but I was wrong so I'm just as responsible for that pilot's life as Natalya."

"We had no proof of her actions, Otets," Ivan said. "We could not get her arrested without proof."

"But I could have had her committed," Dmitri replied. "I knew people and it wouldn't have taken much but I didn't. If I had, none of this would have happened but I let the fact that she was my daughter prevent me from getting her the help that she really needed and, for that, I must take responsibility." They reached the Relatives Room where Sergei still sat with Li Xiao who had woken up and Matthew and Gilbert had joined them.

"Otets," Ivan introduced. "You know Sergei but this is Matvey and his soulmate. Matvey, Gilbert, this is my father, General Dmitri Arlovsky." Matthew came forward, holding out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, General Arlovsky," he said as Dmitri shook his hand.

"Please call me Dmitri," he replied. "Ivan has told me of your friendship during the trouble with my daughter. Thank you! Ivan needed his friends and it's nice to know Natalya didn't scare all of you away."

"Birdie's too awesome to abandon his friends," Gilbert commented, wrapping his arm around Matthew's neck. "And any friend of Birdie's is a friend of mine."

"Good to know," Dmitri replied while Ivan brought Li Xiao to meet his father.

"You know this one but you've never met him," Ivan said. "This is Li Xiao." Dmitri looked over the boy that Ivan had claimed as Mladshiy brat with his choppy brown hair and golden-brown eyes, bearing the injuries inflicted on him by Natalya. The boy looked extremely worn down, not surprising with what he had been through.

"Privet, moy syn," Dmitri replied. "I'm pleased to finally meet the newest member of the family, although I wish it was not like this."

"You and me both," Li Xiao replied. "Are you going to deal with Psycho B …. I mean, Natalya now?" Dmitri knew what Li Xiao was about to call Natalya and, with what had happened to Li Xiao and Yao, he could not exactly blame the boy.

"I'll will personally see to it," Dmitri promised. "That she will not trouble you or your brother again. You have my word." Li Xiao just nodded. Dmitri spent some time with Ivan, catching up with the last four years they had spent apart, amused by the story of Li Xiao's conservative art teacher and how Ivan had dealt with him and, of course, Matthew and Gilbert's meeting on the mountainside.

"I think, perhaps, it's time that everybody went to get some rest," Dmitri commented as he saw Li Xiao beginning to nod off and Ivan did not look like he had slept much at in the last couple of days. Sergei looked like he could use some downtime too. He was going to need it because Dmitri and Sergei's next stop was the police station to deal with Natalya.

* * *

Next morning, a car pulled into the car park of the hospital and a man with light brown hair and hazel eyes got out and went into the hospital. He went to Reception Area and waited for the receptionist to finish with the person she had been dealing with.

"I'm Doctor Aaron Bell," he said. "You're expecting me." The receptionist reached for the phone.

"Yes, of course, Doctor Bell," she replied. She had been told that this Doctor would be arriving. "I'll just call Doctor Hanson for you." Within minutes, Doctor Hanson came, carrying a file and began showing Bell the way his office.

"This is a file on the patient," Hanson said, giving Bell the file who opened it and began perusing the contents. "His name is Wang Yao. He suffered a head injury in the plane crash and hasn't regained consciousness."

"I see here he's suffered a brain injury before," Bell replied, still reading the file.

"Yes, from a car accident some years ago," Hanson said. "It caused blindness and, despite being operable, doctors were afraid to attempt it." Bell held up a brain scan.

"The damage is in the same area, it looks like," he commented. "That's a sensitive part of the brain, I'm not surprised no one wanted to touch it, I would think twice about that but if we don't operate ..."

"Wang Yao will die," Hanson replied. "So there's nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying."

"I'll operate as soon as everything is ready," Bell replied.

"I'll inform the family."

* * *

Ivan and Li Xiao was there as soon as they could after the call that told them that Yao was going into surgery. They left Dmitri and Sergei who had another problem to deal with but gave Matthew a call to let him and Gilbert know. Bryan had called to see how things were going and he was checking into a hotel as he had not had chance to arrange accommodation and messages had been sent by HQ, demanding that Ivan get in touch with them which Ivan chose to ignore for the time being.

Doctor Hanson met them and took them to see Yao before he was taken down for surgery. Yao looked pale with a large pad over the injury on his head. He was on a respirator and a brain monitor which broke Ivan's heart. Li Xiao did not like to see it either and took his brother's hand.

"You have to pull through, Gēgē ( _ _ Brother _ _ )," he said. "I need you! We need you!" Ivan took Yao's other hand.

"Come back to us, Podsolnuhk," he begged. "We can't lose you now." Then nurses began to come in to take Yao down to the operating theatre. Ivan bent down to kiss Yao on the forehead.

"I love you, Podsolnuhk," he whispered and both he and Yao stood back as Yao's stretcher was pushed from the room.

"He's not going to die, is he?" Li Xiao asked, brokenly. Ivan pulled him into a hug.

"No, he won't," he replied, adamantly. "He can't!"

* * *

Sergei followed the General into the police station as they went to see Natalya. They went up to the desk to talk to the officer who looked up at them when they approached.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm General Arlovsky," Dmitri replied. "I believe you're holding my daughter, Natalya Arlovskaya, I would like to see her."

"I have to tell you," the officer replied. "That she's already appeared before the judge and been denied bail."

"You misunderstand me," Dmitri replied. "I want to see her, not bail her. I think it's safer for everyone if she stays in custody." The officer just stared at the General. It was unusual for a parent to want their child to remain in jail but he made arrangements for the General to see his daughter. Natalya was sat in her cell, wondering what had happened with the plane. Had Yao been killed in the crash? Was Yao finally dead? Was Ivan free of his influence? Natalya hoped so.

The door opened and an officer came in, followed by her father and behind him was that Sergei Mikhaylov, her father pet guard dog. She did not care if he had started her heart beating, he was not her soulmate. She was destined for Ivan and that was that! Dmitri glared at his daughter with her shortened hair, still dressed in the airport jumpsuit she had been arrested in and wondered where he had gone wrong with her. Ivan and Katyusha were not like this, did not have such incestuous tendencies so where had they come from?

"I don't what happened to you, Natalya," Dmitri shook his head. "To turn you into this. The people you hurt in Russia, your brother's friends, Aleks, Katyusha and now this plane crash! The innocent people on board that plane, you never gave them a single thought, did you! And now, someone is dead because of your obsession." Natalya took on a hopeful expression. "Wipe that look off your face, Natalya! Yao is still alive but you killed the pilot! Fortunately, he was the only one that died after he got everyone else down but that's one life too many. Your ridiculous obsession with your brother has caused death and heartache and I will not let you cause any more. You have a soulmate and it's not your brother." Natalya pointed a defiant finger at Sergei.

"HE is not my soulmate!" she hissed. "My heartbeat means nothing. Ivan's my soulmate, I do not accept HIM!"

"You're not my ideal partner either," Sergei shot back. "You think I want to spend my life with someone who obsesses about their own brother and tries to kill anyone who comes near. I've seen things in combat, horrible things in the heat of battle but what you've done to innocent people who are no threat and never harmed you turns even my stomach."

"Good!" Natalya snapped. "I'm glad that's settled, now I don't have to see you aga..."

"As much as I don't want to inflict you on Sergei," Dmitri interrupted. "Nothing changes the fact that you two are soulmates but..." He stared his daughter down. "...you still have a lot to answer for so I'll make it your decision. You can accept Sergei as your mate and NOT kill him and I'll arrange for you to be treated in an institution..."

"You can't be serious ….." Natalya huffed.

"Or you can refuse him," Dmitri snapped. "In which case, I'll let you rot in prison. Three counts of attempted murder, one resulting in manslaughter at the very least. I'll even tell the police about your actions in Russia so can you imagine the sentence you'll receive. You might even get life imprisonment and I'm ashamed to say that you deserve every year of it. So make your choice." Sergei groaned as Dmitri offered the deal. He did not want Natalya near him any more than Ivan did but it looked like he would be stuck with her.

Natalya considered the deal. She stood a much better chance of getting free of an institution than a prison and she did not have to kill Sergei, just leave him behind. Ivan was the one for her and she would get free and make sure Ivan knew that too.

"Very well," she replied. "I accept Sergei as my mate." Sergei was half hoping Natalya would tell her father to go to Hell. Dmitri knew that Natalya was thinking that it would be easier to escape from an institution but she would be in for a surprise as the one he had in mind was of the highest security.

"Good!" Dmitri exclaimed. "I'll see to it. And I'll arrange the wedding too." Sergei and Natalya both almost fainted with shock.

"WHAT!"

* * *

The operation was well under way and Doctor Bell was a mask of concentration as he worked on a very sensitive part of Yao's brain. One slip and Yao might never wake up again so Bell was intent on his work. It was not just the injury from the plane crash he had to content with but the earlier injury as well which he had to repair in order to put right the other damage and it was proving troublesome but he would do his best to give Yao the best chance he could. He paused so a nurse could mop his brow and then he went back to work.

* * *

Matthew and Gilbert had arrived to keep Ivan and Li Xiao company while Yao was in surgery. They sat by Ivan but Li Xiao seemed to need space and sat across the room. Ivan was slouching down in his chair, taking comfort in the feeling of the scarf Katyusha had given him against the lower half of his face, wishing he had her comforting presence with him right now. He was second-guessing every decision he had ever made since realising that Natalya was in Banff. Not getting Yao and Li Xiao out immediately instead of trying to keep Yao's existence a secret which proved to be futile as Natalya had already known. If he had, Katyusha would not have been shot, Captain Maurier would still be alive and Yao would not be undergoing brain surgery.

"I should have sent Yao home the moment Natalya showed up," Ivan muttered. "Why didn't I send him home?" He buried his face in his hands.

"Hindsight's a wonderful thing," Matthew replied. "Or would be if you could go back and change things but you can't. Yao and everyone else had every right to be safe so this is all Natalya, not you."

"Ja," Gilbert agreed. "It's not your fault she's a nut job!" The door opened and Sergei came in, looking none too happy.

"Sergei!" Ivan exclaimed. "How did things go at the police station?"

"The General's arranging for Natalya to be put into an institution," Sergei replied.

"Good!" Li Xiao replied. "It's about time Psycho Bitch got put where she belongs."

"Does your father hate me or something?" Sergei wailed at Ivan.

"Excuse me!?" Ivan asked, surprised.

"The General gave her a choice," Sergei replied. "Accept me as her soulmate and go into the institution or refuse and go to prison. The General's arranging the wedding as we speak!"

"It sucks to be you," Li Xiao commented.

"Can't you refuse to marry her?" Matthew asked.

"No one says no to the General," Sergei replied. "And for better or worse, she is my soulmate. Sooner or later, I have to face that. Any news of Yao?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "He's still in surgery."

"Well, the General would like you to keep him informed," Sergei replied. "I have to go back. He sent me because you can't use your mobile in the hospital but he wanted me to return immediately." He turned to leave.

"Hey, Sergei!" Li Xiao called. "Run for the hills!" Sergei gave a dry laugh and left.

"Any one want to bet how long it will be before Psycho Bitch kills him?" Li Xiao said.

* * *

That was it! Bell had done all he could for Yao so now it was up to his patient to make it the rest of the way. He left the operating theatre, leaving the nurses to take Yao back to his room, pulling down his surgical mask and removing his gloves as he went to the wash room and dumped them in the hospital waste bin and began to scrub his hands, taking the time to relax. It had been an extremely sensitive operation that had tested his skill to the utmost. He just hoped it would be enough.

He made his way to the Relatives Room where he had been told that Yao's family were waiting for news. He opened the door to find four people inside. One was a Chinese teenager so he assumed he was a sibling of Yao's and there was an albino man with red eyes with a blonde man with violet eyes. The final person was one of the tallest men Bell had ever seen with platinum blonde hair and violet eyes almost the same colour of the other blonde and they all turned to look at him.

"Are you with Wang Yao?" he asked and both the tall man and the teenager stood up.

"I'm his brother," the teenager replied.

"I'm his soul mate," the tall man revealed. "And his fiancé!."

"I'm Doctor Aaron Bell!" Bell said. "The operation went as well as could be expected. If he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, he has a chance. The rest is up to him now."

"Can we see him, Doctor?" the tall man asked. Doctor Bell nodded.

"He's being moved to a private room in ICU, right now," he replied. "Give us time to get him settled and I'll have a nurse take you to him!"

"Thank you, Doctor!" the teenager said and Bell left the room. Yao had a lot of people who care about him and Bell hoped he made it.

* * *

It had been three days since Yao had come out of surgery and Ivan and Li Xiao had practically haunted the hospital but that did not stop HQ from catching up with Ivan and he was currently suspended for taking the helicopter up with an uninsured and unsanctioned pilot. Ivan, at the moment, did not particularly care but he kept Bryan out of it, claiming that he did not know that Sergei was not a member of the team so, until someone told them differently, Bryan was not in any trouble.

General Arlovsky had been in to visit with Ivan and to see how Yao was doing. He had arranged with the Canadian courts to have Natalya committed to a mental institution, subject to her trial but, given her behaviour and obsession, it was likely that she would remain there for some time. Sergei had something of a reprieve, though. Until Natalya could be declared of sound mind, she could not make any major legal decisions, such as getting married. So Sergei was safe. For now!

Ivan and Li Xiao sat in chairs on either side of Yao's bed, each holding one of Yao's hands as Li Xiao slept and Ivan was beginning to nod off. The good news was Yao had been taken off the respirator as he could breathe on his own which his soulmate and brother were happy about as it showed some improvement. Now, if he would only wake up.

* * *

Yao had the worst headache he could ever remember having and he felt so weak. He could feel his body but every part of it felt heavy and too difficult to move. The most Yao could do was groan at the ache in his head. As tired as Ivan was, he heard the groan and sat up, just in time to heard Yao groan again and he stood over Yao as Yao's eyes moved under his eyelids.

"Li Xiao!" he called. Li Xiao shifted a little in his sleep and settled again.

"LI XIAO!" Ivan called, louder and Li Xiao's eyes slowly drifted open. When he saw Ivan standing over Yao, he stood up too.

"I think he's waking up," Ivan said and looked back down at Yao. Yao wondered why his head ached so much and then the plane crash came back to him and he wondered what had happened to his brother.

"Li Xiao!" he muttered as Li Xiao stood at his side.

"I'm here, Yao," he replied and Yao slowly opened his eyes.

At first, it did not occur to Yao that anything was different. Just a blur of light and colours and then it hit him that he should not be able to see light or colours and, if his heart was beating, it would have sped up with shock and excitement. He was seeing light and colour! What had happened to him to create this miracle? His vision was blurry but this was more than he could have hoped for. But it did not end there as his vision began to sharpen as he blinked and Li Xiao came into focus. He had a large plaster on his cheek and his arm was in a sling but Yao was so glad to see his eighteen year old brother whom he had not laid seeing eyes on for six years. His brother had grown into a handsome young man but the eyes were the same. The same golden-brown orbs that used to shine out of a twelve year old's face.

"Li Xiao, aru?"

Yao was looking at him but Li Xiao could tell there was something different about the way he was looking at him. More focused, looking AT him rather than through him. In fact, Yao was looking at him the way he used to before the car cras...Li Xiao's eyes widened. Was it possible?

Yao could smell Ivan's cologne and shifted his vision to the other person in the room, one of the most important people in his life that he had never, ever seen. He saw a tall man with platinum blonde hair, a somewhat large nose and Yao looked up into violet eyes and into Ivan's soul.

_ _ Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump! _ _

Tears sprang into Yao's eyes as he felt something he had never thought to ever feel. His heart was beating, really beating and the pain in Yao's head was forgotten as the excited pounding of his heart that he had imagined earlier became a reality. Ivan saw the tears come to Yao's eyes and wondered why his soulmate was crying. Was he in pain? Did he need pain relief?

"What's wrong, Podsolnuhk?" he asked. "Shall I get a doctor for you?" Yao managed to find the strength to move his hand to take Ivan's left hand and bring it up to his chest and over his heart. Ivan's eyes widened as he felt the bumping under his hand.

"I see you, Ivan," Yao whispered. "I see you, aru!" Ivan just stared down at the hand under which Yao's heart beat. Had Doctor Bell fixed more than the damage caused in the crash? Could the operation have also reversed the damage that stole Yao's eyesight? It must have done!

"Do you like what you see, Podsolnuhk?" he asked, half joking, half seriously. What if Yao did not like how he looked? What if Yao wished his soulmate looked different? Ivan found he was a little scared. Yao looked up at his soulmate, taking in his pale but handsome face and the beautiful violet eyes that had set his heart beating. Ivan had a smile on his face but Yao got the feeling that it was hiding some fear and Yao realised that Ivan was afraid that he might be disappointed with him.

"I like what I see very much, aru," Yao replied and the smile on Ivan's face became genuine. He stroked his right hand over Yao's head, avoiding the operated area and bent down to kiss Yao on the lips.

"So do I," Ivan said and kissed him again. Li Xiao was ready to cry and trying hard not to and Yao looked back at him.

"You've grown, little brother," Yao said. "I'm so proud of you, aru." Li Xiao said nothing and just hugged his brother. And cried.

* * *

Doctor Bell confirmed that, in order to heal the injury Yao got in the plane crash, he had had to repair the earlier damage that had robbed Yao of his sight and, after more rest, tests were performed to check the extent of Yao's restored vision. It was not perfect, probably never would be and he would need visual aids but it was more than Yao had ever expected to regain so he was not going to complain about his vision not being 20/20. After six years of blindness, Yao was more than happy with what he had.

Yao was still weak and it would take time to regain his strength but it would happen. It surprised doctors that Yao had full recollection of the crash, up until he was knocked out but head injuries are strange things and no one can predict how anyone would react to them. Matthew, Gilbert, Vlad and Aleks came to visit him and Yao saw his friends for the first time and was introduced to Gil. He thought the albino was loud and somewhat full of himself but he and Matthew were clearly attached to each other. Yao wished his blonde, violet-eyed Canadian friend the very best in his life and, as for Aleks and Vladimir, Yao thought that the black-haired, green-eyed Bulgarian and the strawberry blonde Romanian with the reddish eyes looked good together.

Natalya stood trial and was sentenced to a maximum security mental institution as she was diagnosed with an extreme obsessive attachment disorder which had resulted in dangerous tendencies and had already resulted in one death so it was decided that she should remain in the institution until such time as she could be reintegrated back into society. General Arlovsky made arrangements for her to be transferred to an asylum in Moscow that Dmitri knew could keep his unstable daughter contained. He and Sergei (unfortunately) would also visit and keep an eye on her.

HQ kept Ivan on suspension but, taking the circumstances into consideration, decided not to fire him as good pilots were hard to come by but he was also on a warning. Any more incidents like that he would be fired and possibly prosecuted. Ivan and Li Xiao naturally visited Yao every day and, after a month, he was finally released from hospital and they all went home together at long last. Ivan and Li Xiao had spent time cleaning the whole house for Yao's home coming as he had never seen it and every inch was sparkling like new, even Li Xiao's room was unusual neat so when Yao came home, he saw it at its best for the very first time. Ivan wheeled Yao into the living room in a wheelchair as he was still weak and needed to conserve his strength. The chair he sat in to read and drink tea was a comfortable, high-backed chair as he saw it for the first time after years of sitting in it. The living room was warm and comfortable with a TV in the corner that Yao would sometimes listen to while Ivan and Li Xiao watched. Now he could watch with them.

"Welcome home, Podsolnuhk," Ivan said and helped Yao out of the wheelchair and into the high-back. "I know I asked this when we first moved in but ….. do you like the house?"

"Very much," Yao replied. "It can be a home now, can't it? We'll never have to worry again, aru." Yao found it ironic that, now he could see, they no longer had to look over their shoulders for Natalya. She was safely put away in Moscow and it would be some time before she could ever be a threat again.

"Da, Podsolnuhk," Ivan replied as he knelt down in front of Yao. "We can have a life free of fear and live how we really should. Li Xiao can go to college with an easy mind and we can finally enjoy being soulmates." And Ivan reached up and kissed Yao on the lips. Yao smiled at his silly, Russian bear.

"That sounds like a good plan, aru!" he agreed.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love happy endings. Next is Natalya's story and you'll get a little back story as to why she became like she did. Hope you watch out for that.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know the procedure for getting citizenship in Canada so I'm keeping it vague there. If you think Natalya's crazy now, believe me this is nothing! The crazy will just get crazier!


End file.
